Jon Jones praises Jan Blachowicz after Anderson KO: ‘He’s going to make a great opponent’

On Saturday night, in the main event of the UFC Rio Rancho card, Poland’s Jan Blachowicz asserted himself as one of the top contenders in the UFC light heavyweight division. In fact, Blachowicz might even be the next man in line for the champion Jon Jones.

For what it’s worth, Jones seems very open to the matchup. The light heavyweight champion, who was cage-side for the event, shared his thoughts on Blachowicz — and snuck in a dig at the vanquished Anderson — post-fight.

“I was happy to see Corey eat his words,” Jones said backstage (via MMA Fighting). “He’s been talking so much trash, and then to go out there and perform the way he did, yeah. Oh yeah, Jan (is a worthy opponent). He’s got great knockout power. He’s very technical. His fundamentals are very sharp, and yeah, I think he’s going to make a great opponent.

“I can totally see the UFC matching us up,” Jones added. “What better way to make a claim for the title than a knockout like that. I’ve got a feeling the UFC’s going to giving me a call really soon.”

While Jones has seemingly opened the door to a fight with Blachowicz, that’s not his only option.

The light heavyweight champ last fought earlier this month, in the main event of UFC 247 in Houston, and narrowly escaped with his belt, losing a controversial decision to Dominick Reyes. So, while Blachowicz has seemingly earned a title shot, the UFC might elect to book an immediate rematch between Jones and Reyes first.

Whatever the case, the light heavyweight division is heating up, and Jon Jones seems to have his work cut out for him.

Who do you want to see the light heavyweight champion fight next?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 2/14/2020.