3 reasons why Jon Jones is setting himself up to fail by moving up to heavyweight

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is planning to move to the heavyweight division in search of a new challenge.

Before vacating the light heavyweight title in August 2020, Jones reigned over the 205-pound division for almost a decade.

In order to prepare for this transition, 'Bones' has taken 2021 off to gain muscle mass and build his body up to compete with the heavyweight fighters.

I had a brief phone meeting with UFC‘s lawyer Hunter a few days ago. As of right now I expressed to him that anywhere around eight to $10 million would be way too low for a fight of this magnitude. That’s all that has been discussed so far.

— BONY (@JonnyBones) March 31, 2021

Despite rocky negotiations with the UFC brass over remuneration and his debut at heavyweight, it is more than likely that the former 205-pound champion's debut in the new division will be for the title.

We believe that despite his extensive preparation, Jon Jones is setting himself up for failure by moving up to the 265-pound division.

Here are three reasons why a move to heavyweight would prove to be harmful for Jon Jones:

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#3 Jon Jones' previous two performances were underwhelming

UFC 247 Jones v Reyes

Jon Jones' previous two fights were against UFC light heavyweights Thiago Santos and Dominick Reyes, both of which left a lot to be desired from the former 205-pound champ.

Both were extremely close fights, with many people believing, in both cases, that Jones' opponent was the winner. Santos even won the contest on one judge's scorecard.

'The Dominator' and Santos' records after their encounter with Jones have been poor. Reyes and 'Marreta' lost their next two fights after sharing the octagon with Jones.

This also reflects poorly on 'Bones' as it suggests that the two fighters he had trouble against were not that talented.

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#2 Jon Jones has no prior fights as a heavyweight

I feel like I move pretty good for a fat boy, I believe I’ll be moving at my all-time best once I actually get in shape pic.twitter.com/qjEsXfShid

— BONY (@JonnyBones) February 26, 2021

Even though Jon Jones claims to be ready to move up to 265, the heavyweight division is a whole different ball game. 'Bones' has fought almost entirely at light heavyweight with no heavyweight fights in his MMA record.

Given his achievements and accolades, it is not unfair to assume that the 33-year-old will only be interested in a title fight in the 265-pound division.

But it could prove very dangerous for Jones to have no tune-up fights at heavyweight before facing Francis Ngannou, the most dangerous man in the entire promotion.

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#1 Jon Jones could get knocked out

UFC 220: Miocic v Ngannou

The difference between the power possessed by light heavyweight fighters and heavyweights is pretty significant.

Most heavyweights are capable of putting any fighter's lights out with a single punch. Derrick Lewis, Jairzinho Rozenstruik and the current UFC champion Francis Ngannou are some examples.

'Bones' has never faced heavy-hitters like Ngannou and Lewis inside the octagon. So, there is a possibility of Jones' chin giving in upon being touched by one of these 265'ers.

Another point to note is that Jones might not possess the necessary power to knock his opponents out at heavyweight.