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Jon Jones has decided to move up to 265 lbs for his UFC return. The former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion is expected to make his divisional debut against the winner of Stipe Miocic vs Francis Ngannou. Jones is moving up a weight class in order to assert his supremacy as one of the greatest MMA athletes of all time. In an interview with ESPN MMA, Jon Jones told Marc Raimondi:
"I do feel like I'm the best fighter in this sport's history. But I just don't want there to be any debate. And one way I can do it is by capturing this heavyweight crown, and that's exactly what I'm going to do."
UFC President Dana White has confirmed that a heavyweight title fight involving Jon Jones is set for later this year. Speaking about Jones in an interview with BT Sports, White told Adam Catterall:
"I think he's ready as soon as he sees what happens with the heavyweight championship. I think he would come in right now and fight for it, but you can't jump over Francis. Francis has earned the shot,"
After ruling over the light heavyweight division for almost a decade, a move to heavyweight was understandably on the cards for Jon Jones. However, certain factors are to be considered before expecting the same legacy from him in the heavyweight division. As we await Jones' return to the Octagon, here are five reasons why the former Light Heavyweight Champion will struggle at heavyweight:
#5 Reason why Jon Jones will struggle at heavyweight: Age
At 33 years of age Jon Jones could possibly be past his prime. The heavyweight division is also witnessing a change right now as newcomers Chris Daukas and Tom Aspinall dispatched the old guard in the form of Alexander Oleinik and Andrei Arlovski.
With fatal punchers like Derrick Lewis and Francis Ngannou present at the top of the division, the risk of an injury is alarmingly high at 265 lbs. Hence, a heavyweight debut at the age of 33 may prove to be career threatening for Jon Jones.
#4 Reason why Jon Jones will struggle at heavyweight: Frame
While Jon Jones might have enjoyed the superiority of his physical attributes at 205 lbs, he will face a different set of challenges at heavyweight. Considering that the top heavyweight contenders are on par with Jones where his height is concerned, he might not always be able to stay 'long' in the heavyweight division. This could make him susceptible to lethal shots from opponents with bigger frames and more muscle mass.
Reiterating concerns about Jon Jones' size before his move to heavyweight, Chael Sonnen said:
“Somebody as fragile as he (Jones) is going to want that down the line. but Jon is a perfect light heavyweight. He is too big to go down to middle weight. He argues that he is not big enough to go up to heavyweight.”
#3 Reason why Jon Jones will struggle at heavyweight: Overconfidence
While Jon Jones relies on his gifted Fight IQ to read his opponents, at times he tends to take them too casually. A well known example of this was when Jones thought he could stand and trade with an elusive counter-striker like Lyoto Machida. Jones ended up getting clipped with a right hand in the very first round of his title defense against Machida at UFC 140. The overconfidence could have cost Jon Jones the title, had Machida rushed in for a finish.
This overconfident approach will be a huge chink in Jones' armor at heavyweight where getting clipped with a right hand flush may be the end of the fight.
#2 Reason why Jon Jones will struggle at heavyweight: Because he was already struggling at light heavyweight.
Going by his last two outings at light heavyweight, Jon Jones might no longer be the dominant force we once knew him to be. Jon Jones fought Thiago Santos at UFC 239 and was seen struggling for the first time since fighting Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165. Though Jones managed to reel in a split-decision win, Thiago Santos had clearly troubled him.
Jones' last fight against Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 truly marked the end of his dominance. Jon Jones was declared the winner in a controversial decision while statistics suggested that 'The Dominator' had outstruck Jon Jones.
#1 Reason why Jon Jones will struggle at heavyweight: Knockout power
Jon Jones has an array of strikes in his arsenal including exotic elbows and spinning back fists that he uses to derail an opponent. However, Jon Jones is yet to exhibit that one shot with knockout power. While knockout power might not be crucial to extract a win at light heavyweight, a lack of it could prove to be detrimental at heavyweight.
Former two-division UFC champion and Jones' archrival Daniel Cormier has recently raised concerns about Jon Jones' knockout ability. Speaking to ESPN MMA, DC told Ariel Helwani:
“It doesn’t matter if he put on weight. It still takes punching power. Why do you think Derrick Lewis can lose 30 pounds – see how much leaner he is – and still knock people out? It takes power. It’s not just weight. You see guys at heavyweight that can’t knock people out. There was once an idea that Cain (Velasquez) didn’t punch hard. But Cain had more knockouts than anybody until Derrick passed him just recently. It’s crazy how the perception…But I’m telling you from experience, Jones doesn’t punch very hard. (Jones) kicks hard, knees hard, but his punches; that’s gonna be an issue once he fights heavyweight. Because they know, right? They know that he wasn’t producing knockouts down at 205, so they’ll be a little more willing to kind of just walk him down to get to him.”
