Jon Jones has big plans to stay active as light heavyweight champion in 2019, and he’s already booked his first title defense against Anthony Smith at UFC 235 in March. So why do fans keep dreaming about him moving to heavyweight? Retired UFC and WEC fighter Danny Downes joins MMAjunkie columnist Ben Fowlkes to discuss in this week’s Trading Shots.

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Downes: UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones isn’t wasting any time, Ben. No, not just in trolling Daniel Cormier (although he did do that), but in booking his next fight.

Late Saturday night, Dana White confirmed with TMZ that Jones will come back March 2 to headline UFC 235. His opponent will be (checks notes) Anthony Smith.

I’ll admit that I was a bit underwhelmed by the news. Based on a quick look at reactions around the internet, a lot of other people felt similarly. How did you feel when you heard the news?

Based on Jones’ comments the last couple weeks, he seems content to remain at light heavyweight and own the division. In the era of the champ-champ, is it a refreshing idea or too simplistic? Do we want “daddy” to stay home, or would we prefer it if papa were a rolling stone?

Fowlkes: If you think I’m going to complain about Jones turning right around after his win at UFC 232 and booking a title defense three months later, you’re dead wrong.

This is what we wanted, isn’t it? For Jones to get serious and stay busy? He might very well be the best fighter in the history of this sport, and he’s fought just three times since 2016. That’s a travesty, is what that is. Even if it is pretty much entirely self-inflicted.

Honestly, when I saw Jones’ Instagram post about putting his nose to the grindstone and really getting after it in 2019, I was cautiously optimistic. This is what I’ve wanted to see from him. Stop frittering away your own talent like it’s some inexhaustible resource. If the fight game has taught us anything, it’s that time eventually catches up with everyone, so you better make yours count.

Now he seems to be intent on doing just that, and people are … disappointed?

We can’t have it both ways, Danny. We can’t complain about every champ skipping out on his own weight class to chase the increasingly hollow double champ dream, but then also complain about a champ who stays put to clean out his division.

I really don’t see the problem. Is it Smith? People just can’t imagine him as real competition for Jones?

Because he’s unbeaten at light heavyweight and just finished a guy who’s been hanging around the top of the division for a little while. As he put it himself, at some point people just might have to entertain the possibility that he’s actually a good fighter. I’m already there. Are you still refusing to get on board?

Downes: Like you, I’m excited to see Jones compete. It would be nice to see him compete more than once a year, something he hasn’t done since 2013.

At the same time, you’re kidding yourself if you think Jones vs. Smith is the fight to make. Yes, part of this feeling is a knock against Smith, but it’s about much more. Jones has beaten Cormier twice (although one was technically a no-contest), but it’s still the fight everyone wants to see. Heavyweight would be ideal, but even at 205 it would be must-see TV.

Normally, MMA fans just want something new (hence the distaste for immediate rematches), but Jones vs. Cormier is one of those situations where what we’ve seen before is what we want. Booking Jones against Smith is like when Cris Cyborg fought Yana Kunitskaya at UFC 222. It’s filler until the fight everyone wants gets booked.

It’s also disingenuous for you to compare Jones’ potential move to heavyweight to the other hollow champ-champs (and potential cc’s) we have out there.

Cormier was never viewed as the “true” light heavyweight champion, and he never defended that belt in the first place. Conor McGregor hasn’t fought at featherweight since beating Jose Aldo, and he was stripped of the lightweight title before failing to regain it from Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Henry Cejudo could be another two-division champion, but his division is about to be eliminated. Amanda Nunes could be the first “legit” one, and everyone wants her to be able to compete in both divisions and not be forced to give one title up.

Just because you’re excited to have any Jones fight, it doesn’t mean Jones vs. Smith is the best or even ideal fight. I think you know as well as I do that Cormier isn’t going to ride off into the sunset before he faces Jones again. Dana White and the UFC just have to open up the checkbook. I look forward to the Trading Shots column on March 3 when I can ask you how excited you were to watch Jones fight Smith. What do you think you’ll say?

Fowlkes: If Jones smashes Smith, which you seem to take for granted, I think I’ll say, once again, that he’s the best there is. I don’t think I’ll say that I regret ever sitting down to watch it.

Like you, I also want to see Jones and Cormier dance a third time, preferably at heavyweight. But the realist in me understands that it’s probably not going to happen any time in the next three months, so I’m not going to complain about seeing Jones defend his title against a credible challenger who at least offers something new.

I know light heavyweight is thin. I also know Jones has already beaten all but a few people who really matter in the division. I think a move up is in his future eventually, and I think he knows it too. But in the meantime, it’s actually kind of refreshing to see someone win a UFC belt and then get really excited about sticking around to defend it against all comers.

Maybe I’ll change my mind if it’s late 2019, and the UFC is asking me to pay 65 bucks to see Jones vs. Corey Anderson. Maybe by then I’ll be in the mood for more of that champ-champ action. For now, though? A boring old Jon Jones title defense feels rare enough to be exciting.

Ben Fowlkes is MMAjunkie and USA TODAY’s MMA columnist. Danny Downes, a retired UFC and WEC fighter, is an MMAjunkie contributor who has also written for UFC.com and UFC 360. Follow them on twitter at @benfowlkesMMA and @dannyboydownes.