UFC News: Reach Longer Than Jon Jones, Robelis Despaigne Puts UFC HW Champ on Alert With His Intentions

Is Jon Jones‘ heavyweight title in danger? Considered the GOAT of MMA, Jones has dominated in the UFC for a very long time now. A fearsome fighter like him isn’t to be messed with. However, new and rising talent can only wait for so long to go for the title.

First, the interim heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall, and now, rising talent even at the age of 35, Robelis Despaigne is after the title. However, many would argue that it still rightfully belongs to ‘Bones’. What is the fate of the heavyweight division then?

Robelis Despaigne is after Jon Jones’ title

Robelis Despaigne recently secured his fifth professional MMA victory at UFC 299. The Cuban star is known for his quick and brutal knockouts that usually finish the fight. He put on a similar show at the recent UFC 299 where he was pitted against Josh Parisian.

‘The Big Boy’ quickly went to work on Parisian in the very first round, landing several punches. However, he tripped due to his own momentum prompting Parisian to charge forwards. Taking advantage of the gap in Parisian’s defense, Despaigne knocked him out quickly in 18 seconds of the first round. He might be a big threat given his reach of 87 inches. And now, he wants to be the next heavyweight champion.

The Olympic medal winner in Taekwondo recently met up with light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira and posed for a picture. When ESPN uploaded that picture on their Instagram, he came to the comment section to say, “I AM THE NEXT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION”. Can Despaigne really go after the reigning heavyweight champion? Perhaps he’ll have to go through the likes of Tom Aspinall and Stipe Miocic first before being able to challenge Jon Jones. In short, Despaigne has a long way to go. 

Jon Jones, on the other hand, has a reach of 84.5 inches and is still trying to recover after tearing his pectoral muscle during training. At 36 years old, Jones has already fought 29 times and won 27 of those fights with one no contest and one DQ loss that hurts his near-spotless record. So, when will he come back?

Jon Jones was offered a comeback recently

You read that right, Jon Jones was asked by the UFC to come back at the ever-so-ambitious pay-per-view, UFC 300. The main event could have featured a fresh new Jones against Stipe Miocic for their pending heavyweight title bout, which was first scheduled for UFC 295.

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“I got a call from Hunter Campbell, one of the head lawyers of the UFC, he said, ‘Jon, I know it’s only nine weeks away, but if there’s any chance you’re feeling up to it, it would be awesome news for the community that you’re coming back and headlining one of the biggest events ever,’” Jones told Submission Radio, “And, as honored as I am for the opportunity, I just don’t think I’ll be ready. I just don’t.”

Clearly, he’s taking his time in what he considers could be his last fight ever. Of course, he wants to go out only after giving his all and he can’t do that if he hasn’t recovered properly. What are your thoughts on his return? Do you think he can take on Aspinall and then Despaigne? Let us know in the comments.

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