If the old cliche is true and “luck” is what happens when preparation meets opportunity—well, the UFC, Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic all have a chance to get really lucky right now.
But the window is fleeting.
Jones gave the fight company a prime chance to turn calamity into a coup on Monday when he posted on social media he’d be willing to step in on short notice to fight Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight title at UFC 196.
If it was for the actual title I would totally do it https://t.co/ur2Rq1ycOI
— Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) January 26, 2016
UFC 196 is currently taking on water and sinking fast after first Cain Velasquez and then Fabricio Werdum pulled out of their main event bout with injuries within 24 hours of each other. Miocic was originally tabbed to replace Velasquez against Werdum, but now the entire pay-per-view event is on the verge of collapse without a suitable headliner.
Up until the moment Jones sent that tweet, exactly what to do to salvage it has been a quandary for the fight company.
Conventional wisdom has the UFC pulling either Josh Barnett or Ben Rothwell out of their bout at Saturday’s UFC on Fox 18. Both Barnett and Rothwell would no doubt be down for that last-minute switch:
' @stipemiocicufc don't speak to fast, because the storm is headed your way soon enough...
— Big Ben Rothwell (@RothwellFighter) January 26, 2016
I'm ready to give the fans of @ufc 196 a heavyweight championship fight for the night. @stipemiocicufc & me will bring the thunder. #UFC196
— Josh Barnett (@JoshLBarnett) January 25, 2016
Unfortunately, the UFC likely can’t do that without upsetting its broadcast partners at Fox, who are depending on Barnett vs. Rothwell to help prop up a lackluster main card lineup. The UFC could also turn to No. 3-ranked Alistair Overeem, but Overeem is currently a free agent after fighting out his existing contract with a win over Junior dos Santos in December 2015.
End result? The organization’s back could be up against the wall. With just 10 days remaining before UFC 196, it could be time for a crazy Hail Mary.
And what could be crazier—or bigger—than putting Jones into a fight for the heavyweight title?
The former light heavyweight champion and consensus No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world hasn’t fought in the Octagon since January 2015. He spent most of last year stripped of his title and suspended while the fight company waited for a hit-and-run charge against him to play out in the New Mexico court system.
Since his reinstatement in October after a judge sentenced him to probation and community service, it has largely been assumed Jones would rematch Daniel Cormier for the 205-pound title. But with desperate times upon us, it could be time to throw out the expected playbook.
Jones has long said he would one day wind up in the heavyweight division, and recent pictures of him have him looking in great shape—not to mention large and in charge.
Why not put him into the realm of the big boys right now?
Jones implied he would only be willing to take the bout against Miocic if it was for the undisputed heavyweight title, with no interim tag applied. That would provide the UFC with one small hurdle—specifically, stripping Werdum of his belt—but it seems like a small price to pay in order to fast forward Jones into the 265-pound class.
We shouldn’t let one little word get in the way of last-minute matchmaking magic. Once Werdum is healthy, the details of a bout against the new champion can surely be worked out.
For PPV buyers, there would simply no more enticing short-notice heavyweight title fight than Jones vs. Miocic. It would instantly turn the beleaguered UFC 196 card from a strikeout into a slam dunk.
It might also provide Jones with some much-needed political capital with fans.
A certain segment of MMA spectators have always had a problem with Jones. For the most part it’s unseemly and unwarranted, though in recent times—after first testing positive for cocaine leading up to UFC 182 and then the hit-and-run—the fighter has given people some valid reasons to dislike him.
Things really seemed to hit rock bottom in September 2012, when the UFC summarily (and unfairly) blamed Jones for the cancellation of UFC 151. It was a bum rap, but some fans never forgave Jones, who UFC president Dana White said “murdered” the event by refusing to fight Chael Sonnen on very short notice after Dan Henderson pulled out with an injury.
What better way for Jones to erase those bad memories than to step in and save UFC 196?
A fight against Miocic would not only be a dandy—and potentially winnable for Jones—it would rob his haters of some of the primary ammunition they use to hurl at the fighter.
The hatred for Jones has never been fully justifiable, but it would start to feel downright untenable if the man fans once blamed for the death of UFC 151 brought UFC 196 back to life.
Perhaps this idea is just a fairy tale. Perhaps Jones wasn’t serious about taking the fight. Perhaps Miocic wouldn’t accept it at such a late hour. Perhaps UFC brass wouldn’t want to disrupt their plans for later in the year by forcing Jones into action on a whim.
But right now UFC 196 needs a little magic, and Jones might be the only guy on the roster with the power to suddenly turn it into a bonafide blockbuster.
