Why did the UFC and Jones want him as the Heavyweight champion?

What I mean is this: the vacant title shot after Ngannou left could have gone to two heavyweights already on the heavyweight roster, and then the league and Jones both wouldn't have their current predicament: The UFC wants to put on a heavyweight title fight Jon Jones wants to keep fighting people not named Tom Aspinall Now imagine a timeline where Cyril Game and Jon Jones just... fought. Neither of them the HW champion, just like when they did fight, except imagine the league didn't paper-champion the fight. Jones could go about this chapter of his career going "this fight seemed interesting to me" kinda like when Anderson Silva went up and fought Forrest Griffen. Or hell, he could unashamedly seek out easier, older opponents and it wouldn't have to be called ducking Tom Aspinall like it otherwise has to be. And the UFC could put a willing challenger against Aspinall for a title fight because in this timeline the league and Jones wouldn't have face to save simply by having declared Jones the champion at HW. Everyone could have been having what they wanted at this point, so it seems like a log jam that never needed to happen and frankly still doesn't need to be happening. submitted by /u/BannedForSayingLuigi [link] [comments]