Jon Jones: His Ideal One-Year Plan for UFC

Instant fan polls can often be a foolhardy litmus test into what the populace is truly thinking. So was the case with Versus' poll Sunday night following Jon Jones' 1st round death-by-elbow victory over Vlad Matyushenko at UFC On Versus 2.

The poll asked whether Jones was ready for a title shot and approximately 86% said yes. Well, of course people are going to say 'Yes' after a decimation like that. But remove the emotion from the win and take a step back. Do you really want Jones to fight for the 205-pound title right now?

Your answer should be no.

This isn't an attempt to disparage Jones' ability and his potential to win a title match. Rather, it's a call to do something our society has got really, really bad at over the past decade: be patient. 

You don't need me to tell you how awesome Jones is and in fact, I was a little disappointed we didn't get to see more of him Sunday night. But if I was Joe Silva, here would be my plan of attack with Jones over the next 12 months.

If everything worked out perfectly, this would be a hell of a year.

December 2010 vs. Rich Franklin

Jones can make his successful return to the land of big bonuses (aka pay-per-view) to close out the year against former Middleweight Champion and Iceman melter Rich Franklin - expected to be back in December after suffering a broken arm in his win over Chuck Liddell in June.

Franklin would pose a great test to Jones in that he's a veteran that has shown he still has the skills to compete at a high level. While he's not an upper-level 205'er like "Shogun" Rua, Lyoto Machida or Rashad Evans, Franklin would provide a stiff test for Jones -- especially considering how a win would put him back in the title hunt.

Jones vs. Franklin would be awesome as part of one those big December cards that has two or three marquee fights on top.

April 2011 vs. Rampage Jackson/Lyoto Machida winner

If Jones was to survive the Franklin fight, a No. 1 contender's match against the winner of the November Jackson/Machida bout would be another great test and another great fight.

Both Machida and Jackson are former UFC Light Heavyweight champions that still want the gold themselves and provide interesting storylines. Could Jones' unique style sneak through Machida karate? Jones' alliance with Rashad Evans would surely help in planning for a Rampage fight, also making for some awesome promos between the two.

Can you imagine a Countdown show with Jackson and Jones? Wow. If the Nason plan was in effect, it could happen.

August 2011 vs. UFC Light Heavyweight Champion

Ideally, I'd want a Jones title shot to be on what has become one of the biggest events of the UFC calendar - the July 4th weekend. Realistically, that's a tight schedule for a 12-month period and that's assuming Jones came out of the previous two wins without major injury.

At this point, Jones would sport wins over several former champions and head into the title fight with a 13-1 mark. At 23 years old, he'd still be quite young but if he was able to get to this point, how could you deny him the opportunity?

The fact a 23-year-old would be considered for such a big honor is quite incredible. This is truly a phenom we have here, one that is benefiting from an aging division that is undergoing some major transitions from the boom period of several years ago.

Luckily for all of us, there is going to be plenty of time for us to enjoy Jones in the UFC. That's why I wish everyone would just chill out and let this thing take its course. Very few fighters have this full package of youth, the verbal ability, raw skill and results this early in their careers.

Unless his career completely derails, Jon Jones will get his title shot eventually. It just doesn't have to be in his next fight.

Thanks to ESPN.com for the picture.

Josh Nason is a freelance MMA journalist that has published Ropes, Ring and Cage.com since 2007. He is a contributor to FIGHT! Magazine, Apollo Magazine and Bleacher Report, appearing regularly on The Fight Show with Mauro Ranallo . Follow him on Twitter, will ya?