5 reasons why the UFC light heavyweight division is better off without Jon Jones

#2. The division finally has some interesting young prospects coming through – but could they really beat Jon Jones?

Jiri Prochazka is just one high-level prospect breaking through in the UFC's light-heavyweight division

Just a handful of years ago, the UFC’s light heavyweight division felt like the land of dinosaurs. Underneath the champion Jon Jones, aging fighters such as Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua, Alexander Gustafsson, Daniel Cormier and Glover Teixeira still sat near the top of the mountain.

Even some of the so-called prospects breaking through at the time – names like Jimi Manuwa and Thiago Santos – were already over 30 years old. The division appeared to have a bleak future.

That’s not the case now. Suddenly, we’ve seen a considerable surge of fascinating prospects hit the UFC’s 205-lbs division. Jiri Prochazka and Aleksandar Rakic are the most exciting propositions. Fighters like Ryan Spann, Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker have also shown great potential.

SHEEEEEEESH!🇨🇿 @Jiri_BJP is a PROBLEM AT 205! #UFCVegas25 pic.twitter.com/difk3Nea2H

— UFC (@ufc) May 2, 2021

Of course, it’d be asinine to suggest that the presence of Jon Jones could affect the number of prospects coming through in a division. But it is fair to question how far these fighters could’ve gone if he were still active there.

For however good as they are and may become, it’s unlikely that fighters like Prochazka and Ankalaev would stand a chance against Jones. Instead, they may well have stagnated like Dominick Reyes seemingly has.

Without Jones, though, these prospects should have room to develop. They will not be rushed into a potentially premature title shot due to Jones dominating everyone else. That makes the division more interesting than it’s been for years.

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#1. Seeing Jon Jones dominate the division had become dull

Many UFC fans had become bored of Jon Jones' dominance of the UFC light-heavyweight division

The biggest reason that the UFC’s light heavyweight division is better without Jon Jones is that it had become incredibly dull to see ‘Bones’ dominating all comers.

Jones wasn’t the UFC’s first dominant champion, of course. The likes of Demetrious Johnson, Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre were equally as dominant as him in their respective divisions. In fact, when considering Jones’ various suspensions, their title reigns actually lasted longer.

However, while Silva and St-Pierre became huge fan favorites during their UFC careers, the same can’t really be said for Jones.

pic.twitter.com/G0AlLRmp4t

— BONY (@JonnyBones) August 12, 2021

For many fans, ‘Bones’ had become more of a villainous character. Jon Jones' multiple failed drug tests and personal issues became a cause of concern. His questionable behavior on social media was polarizing as well.

Naturally, nobody wants to see a villain come out on top constantly. This is what was largely happening in the UFC’s light heavyweight division.

Jones may not have been toppled by a rising fan favorite, but with him now gone from the division, it feels like UFC fans can finally become invested in it again.

That makes it a much fresher and more intriguing division than it has been in a long, long time.