"Not sure that's the smartest idea" - Michael Bisping on the "GOAT" Jon Jones bulking his frame for heavyweight debut

Jon Jones vacated his UFC light heavyweight title in 2020 following his narrow decision win over Dominick Reyes at UFC 247. Since then, 'Bones' has been packing on quite a bit of size and muscle in preparation for his move up to heavyweight.

However, former middleweight champion Michael Bisping believes this could prove to be detrimental. The Englishman is wary of Jones' weight gain and recently speculated that this could slow down the former 205-pound kingpin. During a live stream on his YouTube channel, Bisping said:

“I’m not sure that’s the smartest idea, you know? I mean obviously you want to be heavier, you want to be bigger, you want to be stronger. But you don’t want to be as heavy as you possibly can be.”

Bisping went on to praise Jones' career and accomplishments so far, hailing him as the "greatest of all time." 'The Count' added:

"Jon Jones, greatest of all time, probably gonna do fantastic things at heavyweight. Probably Stipe Miocic, probably an interim belt, probably fights Francis Ngannou if he wins that one. So there's a lot to look forward to..."

Watch Michael Bisping's complete live stream below:

Jon Jones has kept fans updated with his progress on social media. He regularly posts videos of his training sessions, which tend to draw negative reactions from fans online claiming that he has slowed down with all the additional weight. Responding to these fans, Jones tweeted:

"For all those who said I looked a little slow in my last training video, I appreciate the added motivation. I’ll push harder, can’t wait for you all to see your boy in actual fight shape. Everything has its process"

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Jon Jones believes epic clash against Francis Ngannou could take place in November

Jon Jones has been linked with a rumored interim championship bout between himself and former heavyweight titleholder Stipe Miocic in recent times, largely thanks to reigning champion Francis Ngannou's knee injury and contractual situation.

Interestingly, according to Jones, Ngannou might be available to return to the octagon as early as November. Replying to a fan's tweet asking when he would return, 'Bones' tweeted:

"I’ve been hearing whispers about November but honestly I have no clue. Been hearing that Francis could possibly be back on the table though"

The only major UFC event slated for November is UFC 281, which will be underway at Madison Square Garden in New York City on the 12th. The pay-per-view has only one confirmed bout as of this writing, with middleweight king Israel Adesanya set to take on former foe Alex Pereira. A lightweight showdown between Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler is also reportedly in the works for that card.