Is Jon Jones move to heavyweight worth the weight?
Jon Jones is right up there in the conversation for the greatest MMA fighter to have ever lived. He has seen success at 205 pounds throughout his career. He is a multi-time champion and one of the best at light heavyweight. So why is he deciding to make the move to heavyweight? Jones announced earlier this year that he is looking to leave his light heavyweight title behind him and make that run for the heavyweight gold. Does Jones have what it takes both skill-wise and physically to make that transition over? There is a lot to take into consideration.
First off, making the jump up in weight. The light heavyweight division has a cap on how much the competitors can weigh. No more than 205 pounds exactly for a title fight, which is all the fights Jones has had in the past nine years. Nine years of all title fights. Nine years of never facing a man over 205 pounds. Now the heavyweight limit is 265 pounds. We have been seeing more and more competitors coming in very close to that limit. They are some big boys in the division. Guess that is why they call the champion of that division “The Baddest Man on the Planet.”
For a regular person putting on some extra weight can seem like a simple task, but for a top athlete, it may not be so simple. Jones has a very distinct style. His mixture of speed and power is something that he used to having in fights. He is used to having the advantages that he does and in order for him to maintain this while going up in weight means having to gain muscle as well as general weight. Jones spoke to ESPN recently about what this means for him in the weight room and the training room.
“It’s a different feel for me,” Jones said. “I would never really train in between fights. I would allow myself to get fat. To train now with no fight scheduled, it’s different. It shows maturity and it shows how much I really want to do this. I’m trying to change my whole makeup. There are some guys that are way bigger than me up there. I’m just constantly pushing … I have to commit my whole life to this project. I’m committed.”
Looking at the steep slope at the top of the UFC heavyweight division, Jones could be hitting a human wall no matter where he begins. Of course, there is champion Stipe Miocic, but also Francis Ngannou who has been known to send a man into orbit, Curtis Blaydes who can hold even the most experienced wrestlers down, and not to mention Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Derrick Lewis, and more. Now Jones has the skills, he has proved that time and time again. He defeated the former two-time heavyweight champion, Daniel Cormier, in a light heavyweight bout. Yes, there were some external factors involved. Jones tested positive for a banned substance following his UFC 214 win over Cormier, but DC is a big guy who had success at heavyweight which bodes well for Jones.
Is there that much more prestige at the top weight division? If you look at the pound for pound rankings it’s not a string of heavyweights, there are many fighters at the top of the list that fight at a much lower weight. So if Jones is looking to secure his GOAT status with this move, it might not be worth it. The risks seem to outweigh the gains. He is the best at light heavyweight and risking his winning streak seems like a mistake. Then again if he does win and wins in great fashion then he will be a shoo-in for the greatest ever.
