Chael Sonnen: Jon Jones ‘absolutely will not be’ the champion at 35 years old

On the latest edition of his podcast, Chael Sonnen discussed Jon Jones’ career and the possibility of his being replaced by rising fighters like Israel Adesanya in the pound-for-pound debate.

Jones beat Maurício “Shogun” Rua at UFC 128 and broke the record for the youngest UFC champion. Throughout his subsequent unbeaten run, he has commonly been regarded as the Greatest of all Time.

However, the clock is ticking for Jon Jones according to the MMA analyst Sonnen.

Sonnen believes Jones’ legacy is gradually diminishing, which creates ample opportunity for new talent to take the reins.

Sonnen explains:

“You now have Israel Adesanya, just by example, coming up. Israel Adesanya is going to be the one that grabs the torch and moves that organization [the UFC] forward, for sure. He will become the biggest star and the talk will quickly be that he is the greatest pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Jones is getting replaced.’

Chael Sonnen continued, sharing his belief that the 32-year-old Jon Jones’ days at the top are numbered.

“Over time he’s going to have to move weight class if he wants to be remembered…He needs to expand, he needs to show on some level that he can go out there and compete with (Daniel) Cormier clean,” Sonnen said.

“I don’t think he realizes how quick that clock is winding down. He will not be the world champion at 35 years old. He absolutely will not be. He likely, will not even be the main event or co-main event by 36 years old. By 37 years old, he will be fighting for his place in the sport. That’s just the way it goes.”

What do you think of this comment from Chael Sonnen? Is Israel Adesanya really going to replace Jon Jones in the pound-for-pound debate?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 8/15/2019.