When all is said and done in Las Vegas, Nevada, this Saturday night (May 23, 2015) -- and UFC 187 comes to its conclusion -- for the first time in more than four years someone other than Jon Jones will be crowned UFC's Light Heavyweight champion.
Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson are, of course, fighting for the now-vacant UFC 205-pound championship inside MGM Grand Garden Arena this Memorial Day weekend. Jones was stripped of his title and indefinitely suspended on April 28, 2015, after Albuquerque Police Department charged "Bones" with felony hit-and-run for allegedly leaving the scene of an accident that left a pregnant woman with a broken arm.
It also left another stain on his spotty reputation.
The unceremonious end to the title reign of Jones has been an odd one. His meteoric rise through the ranks -- followed by dominance in the 205-pound division for the last four years -- has come crashing down because of the legal troubles that have sullied his name and compelled UFC, unprecedentedly, to strip him of the title.
And now, either Cormier or Johnson will be crowned the new champion at UFC 187, but neither man will have actually defeated Jones to earn it.
ESPN MMA analyst and former UFC Middleweight and Light Heavyweight title contender, Chael Sonnen, told MMAMania that UFC's decisions in regard to Jones are a bit odd.
"In fighting there is a history," Sonnen said. "You can't operate outside of the confines of history. You get stripped for two reasons: You don't defend your belt or you are unable to defend your belt. Those are the only two things that get you stripped. You have a guy who is still in the company and you took his belt. It's weird. It's really weird. If you cut a guy and he is no longer with the company than, obviously, he is no longer the champion. I don't know what you do from here. Are you telling me that Jon's next fight when he comes back won't be for the title? Because if it is for the title, than what's the difference?"
Earlier this week, UFC president Dana White said that Jones would, indeed, most likely fight for the title upon his return if he didn't have to serve jail time.
"If you put him in a title fight then none of this makes sense. It's the exact same spot he's in," Sonnen continued. "He walks out to the ring without the belt and he walks away with the belt. Or, if he loses, he doesn't leave with the belt. That is the exact same thing that would've happened if he would've walked to the ring with the belt."
Sonnet, host of the "You're Welcome" podcast and professional wrestling analyst with Global Force Wrestling, also mentioned it wouldn't make sense to put Jones in a contender fight or not have him in anything other than a main event due to the fact his contract "calls for pay-per-view points no matter where he is on the card."
Thus, bringing it back to Jones being in a title fight, where he would've been had he not been stripped.
"Then it comes back full circle, okay, well then you have to put him back in a title fight," Sonnen said. "You just have to do it six months from now and everyone forgets about this. Well, if you do that, nothing has changed. It's the exact same spot. So, it's just weird. I don't know what you do with him. That's why it's weird."
Stripping the champion or not stripping the champion aside, Sonnen is of the opinion some type of action had to be taken in light of recent events.
"Yeah, something needed to be done," he said. "Whether the commission needed to handle that or [UFC] needed to handle that, I suppose there is no wrong answer there. In his case, it may end up being bold, but to strip a guy... It's just never been done before. I'm not second guessing it. I'm not even saying it's wrong. I'm saying it's never been done before. Anyone who says it isn't weird is wrong. It is weird. It's very weird.
"You've got the guy that is the champ and he is still on the roster but he isn't the champ. You see the problem with this? It's really weird. And if his next fight is for the title, literally, nothing changes. So, you can either admit now that he is really not stripped, or you are going to have to admit it in six months when you bring him back and let him out there for a title fight. It's the same thing and so, it's weird."
The retired fighter is also surprised that one of the more prominent reporters who called for Jones suspension and title to be stripped, Kevin Iole from Yahoo.com, doesn't find it odd that UFC did both but kept him in the promotion.
Chael Sonnen on Jon Jones: If 'Bones' gets instant UFC title shot upon return, 'then none of this makes sense' - MMAmania.com
