Jon Jones has been working on a move up to the UFC’s heavyweight division since August 2020. However, he is yet to make his divisional debut.
Jones claimed that if he was going to move up to the new weight division of 265 lbs (a pretty huge jump up from the light heavyweight weight limit of 205 lbs) then he was going to do it the right way, which he said might take a while.
However, after a year and a half of bulking up, Jon “Bones” Jones, looks like he’s ready to make his HW debut in 2021. Given his star power, it’s very likely that Jon will get an immediate heavyweight title shot against the winner of Ngannou v Gane, which is set to go down at UFC 270.
This is leading many people in the MMA world to speculate on how well Jones will perform at the new weight. This includes his former rival, Daniel Cormier.
Daniel “DC” Cormier had one of the UFC’s most famous rivalries with Jon Jones before he retired. The pair faced off against each other twice, with Jones winning both times. It looks like, even in retirement, DC’s dislike for Jones hasn’t gone anywhere.
On his ESPN show, DC commented on Jones’ HW move and had this to say:
I believe that Jon Jones will fight at heavyweight and he’ll fight for the belt, but he’ll lose to Ciryl Gane or Francis Ngannou.
DC & RC’s predictions for 2022
DC went on to comment on the fact that Jones’ time away from the Octagon will work against him, and prevent him from being able to compete against the top dogs of UFC’s heavyweight division.
I just think that the time away, with the weight difference, and those guys being who they are, that’s the problem. It’s not that Jones has gotten worse; it’s just that these guys are a different level of heavyweight.
DC & RC’s predictions for 2022
An interesting comment, considering that when Jones beat DC in their second fight, it had just come off the back off a long lay-off for Jones then as well.
Is DC right that the weight jump, combined with the new breed of UFC’s heavyweight elite will be too much for Jones? Or is it just DC being unable to get past his own negative bias against his former rival.
Michael Bisping believes it’s the latter. On his YouTube channel, he called out his fellow UFC analyst for not exactly coming across as impartial in his opinion:
… because he does have that history and because they don’t like one another, I believe that maybe that’s skewing the judgment of DC just a little bit here.
Michael Bisping’s YouTube Channel
Bisping went on to say that DC’s comments may go beyond his dislike for Bones Jones, and may also be hitting a pride related nerve.
Now, Jon Jones, his old rival he’s stepping up to heavyweight and he’s trying to do what ‘DC’ did and because DC doesn’t like him then maybe he’s like, ‘Nah, he’s not gonna be able to do that.
Michael Bisping’s YouTube Channel
While Jon Jones doesn’t have a fight contract signed just yet, rumour has it that he will be making his heavyweight debut later in the year, but who will he be fighting against?
1