Getty (L-R) Thiago Santos & Jon Jones
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones congratulated newly crowned 205-pound king Jiri Prochazka on earning the belt. And fight fans had to chime in.
Prochazka competed against then-champ Glover Teixeira during the UFC 275 main event in Singapore last weekend. In what many heralded as the greatest light heavyweight title fight in UFC history, Prochazka and Teixeira went to war for nearly five rounds until “Denisa” caught the Brazilian in a rear-naked choke.
He forced the tap with 28 seconds left on the clock, becoming the third combatant to hoist 205-pound gold since “Bones” vacated the belt in 2020.
Around four days later, Jones took to Twitter to react to Prochazka’s title-clinching effort. “Congratulations Champ @jiri_bjp,” Jones tweeted.
Congratulations Champ @jiri_bjp
Jones Should ‘Get an Oscar’ & Other Comments Poured In
Well, comments from fight fans poured in after Jones hit publish on the tweet.
“Bones.. you should get an oscar,” one wrote. “The level of acting you showcase. I know inside all you want is to take this belt back. But you trynna act all nice and humble. Dunno if that’s a good thing or bad lol.”
“Bro waited 4 days so his congratulations would get more attention,” another tweeted.
Someone wrote: “Have u been in a 4 day coma?”
“Let’s cut to the chase Bones,” a user commented. “Even if it’ll never happen, everyone wants to know how you think you’d match up against Jiri.” And another responded: “Jon is a terrible matchup for jiri.”
“Thats supposed to be your strap and you giving congratulations to this man,” someone wrote, with another replying: “Thats because Bones is everyone’s father in that division. He is congratulating his son.”
One Twitter user tweeted: “Lol. Jones quit playing with the guys. Let them enjoy their B.S rankings. You beat without any issues @gloverteixeira at his own game. This is a fill in championship. Heavyweight here he comes .!!!”
“Let’s just face it.. if @JonnyBones didn’t exist there would have been about 10 more champions over the past 12 years,” someone else wrote. “He is the undisputed LHW goat and always will be.”
UFC President Dana White Hopes Jones Will Fight Stipe Miocic Later in 2022
Jones vacated the light heavyweight title in the summer of 2020 and revealed that he was moving to heavyweight. It’s been nearly two years since his announcement, and Bones has yet to compete inside the Octagon.
However, UFC president Dana White said in a recent interview with MMA Underground’s John Morgan that he hopes to see Jones collide with former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic later this year while reigning king Francis Ngannou recovers from knee surgery.
“I agree with you 100% that he [Jon Jones] is still the greatest of all time,” White said via Low Kick MMA. “Yeah, obviously, we’ve got Francis right now, his knee, we’re waiting on that, see how long that’s going to be. Then, you know, him and Stipe [Miocic] probably makes sense. Either Vegas or New York.”
Jones has a professional mixed martial arts record of 26-1, with 10 wins via KO/TKO and six by submission. He’s viewed by many as the greatest fighter of all time, with his only defeat coming by disqualification in 2009.
He’s the youngest-ever fighter to obtain UFC gold, and he boasts several records, including most consecutive light heavyweight title defenses, 8, and most successful 205-pound title defenses, 11.