Jon Jones was scheduled to make his return against Francis Ngannou, but Francis was not able to reach a contract agreement with the UFC. Given the vacancy of the belt and an opponent for Jones here are the best opponents I think Jon Jones can fight in heavyweight.

Jon’s replacement match has been chosen already and it’s against Gane. This match proves a good substitute for Jon in his return, while Gane may not be the heavy hitter that Francis is, he is skilled in many other facets. He is a very technical striker and his movement is very fluid for his size, which improves his striking. This and his agility make him very good at closing this distance. With a skill set like Jones it’s hard to know what his game plan will be. Will he look to shoot and take the match to the ground? There are a lot of questions to be answered March 4th, but no doubt it will be a good fight.

Blaydes is a top tier wrestler in MMA and my pick for the wrestling matchup between the two heavyweights. Curtis and his takedown being one of his most feared moves in his arsenal; he has above a 50% takedown success rate in all his matches. Jones however has a 95% takedown defense in his professional career, which ultimately can nullify one of Curtis’s strengths. While we praise Curtis wrestling it’s also worth noting that Jon has wins under his belt against the most formidable wrestlers the UFC has seen. Fighters like Chael Sonen, Rashad Evans and arguably the most skilled wrestler in MMA history, Daniel Cormier. It’s hard to see how Curtis will fare against Jon, but it would be a matchup. Many of his wins have come from his standup game, but his ground game makes him a formidable opponent. Depending on how Curtis mixes up his striking to get takedowns and wrestle he could do well in this match.

Stipe would be a good fight for Jon in his prime but he’s 40 and who knows if he’ll be able to keep up with Jones. Age aside, Stipe is a very explosive fighter and his footwork and wrestling skills are impeccable. Much like Blaydes, Stipe has the wrestling ability to rival Jones. Stipe has wrestled for most of his life, starting in high school and competing in Division one wrestling in college. This has helped stipe greatly in the UFC being able to wrestle his first title defense against Francis Ngannou. He was able to keep Francis striking power contained and control much of the fight. Stipe is also not to be underestimated as a striker with 11 knockouts in the heavyweight. Some regard Stipe as the best heavyweight fighter ever and Jon is arguably the best fighter ever.

Sergei has phenomenal punching power with 5 knockouts in the UFC (14 over his entire career)and is currently on a five fight win streak. Pavlovich may be the next prime heavyweight striker after Francis. He’s fast and accurate and uses combinations very well. An example of this was his fight with Tai Tuivasa, making quick work of Tai his speed and combos allowing him to bull rush and end the round quickly. The only concerns I have with Pavlovich is his wrestling; I would like to see a bit more of that from him given what Jon is capable of on the ground. The other concern would be the experience. Yes Pavlovich is 17-1 as an overall fighter but he’s 5-1 in the UFC. Jon Jones has 13 title defenses and some of those coming from former UFC champions meaning Jon has shared the cage with premier talent and knows how to handle it.

I think any of these fights are great fights and if any of these matchups happen in the octagon it will be amazing to see how Jon handles the various challenges. The next test for Jones comes March 4th and all UFC fans are looking forward to see how it plays out.