Triple Take: Who should Jon Jones pursue for his next fight?

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is a man with a target on his back but, like most dominant champions, he’s also a man with options. With his rivalry with Daniel Cormier seemingly now in the rear-view mirror, what’s next for Jones as he looks to kick off 2020 with a bang? MMA Junkie’s Simon Head, Nolan King and Farah Hannoun sound off in the latest edition of Triple Take.

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Simon Head: Take the Corey Anderson-Johnny Walker winner

Dominick Reyes is a deserving contender, for sure, but the smart play from Jon Jones might be to let that fight marinate for a while and instead take the winner of the UFC 244 clash between Corey Anderson and Johnny Walker.

In the cases of both Reyes and Anderson, you have fighters who would be deserved contenders but, as things stand, neither man would cause a huge spike in box office numbers. However, Walker might. The Brazilian wild man is the current X-factor in the UFC 205-pound division and would pose a unique, spectacular, unpredictable challenge to Jones’ reign. He’s also getting better with every fight, so facing him as early as possible also makes a lot of sense for Jones.

If Anderson gets past Walker, however, Jones will be left with a choice between Anderson and Reyes, and the smart approach might be to take the fight with the lower-perceived risk to tee up the bigger fight later in the summer. Given that Anderson has finished just one opponent since he won “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 19 finale, Jones and his team could view him as the lower-risk option and opt to take that fight first.

If Walker wins, take him while he’s still hot and before he reaches his fighting peak. If Anderson wins, take him and push for Reyes to be booked in the co-main slot of the same card. Big wins for both Jones and Reyes would then tee up the Reyes fight for the summer, possibly during International Fight Week.

Next page – Nolan King: By process of elimination, Dominick Reyes is the right answer

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