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Jon Jones has dominated the light heavyweight division since becoming the youngest UFC champion in 2011 and has created a legacy for himself. However, the only asterisk next to Jon Jones' legacy as a UFC legend is his controversial streak of failed drug tests. While Jones' issues outside the cage are worth discussing, they have no bearing on his merit as one of the greatest mixed martial artists in the history of the sport.
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Due to his greatness inside the octagon, UFC fans have long hoped to see 'Bones' ascend from light heavyweight to the heavyweight division. Ever since his days as the UFC light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones has teased the MMA world with a potential move to heavyweight.
Finally, the time has come where Jon Jones seems to have truly committed to plying his trade in the heavyweight division. After an uninspired decision victory over Dominick Reyes at UFC 247, 'Bones' relinquished his title in favor of challenging himself against future heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. Alas, disputes over fight purses with UFC President Dana White led to the matchup being scrapped.
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Jon Jones spent the next two years in limbo, training and filling out his frame for a heavyweight debut he claimed was inevitable. However, having not fought in over two years while his last two wins evoke memories of contentious decisions rather than the brutal dominance he was once known for, this list details the strategic, tactical and physical reasons behind why five specific UFC heavyweights are bad matchups for the all-time MMA great.
It must be prefaced that this does not mean that the fighters discussed are likely to defeat Jones inside the octagon. These are just bad matchups due to their ability to present troubling variables that will make 'Bones' look mortal, even if he ultimately claims victory against them. With that said, these are five bad matchups for Jon Jones at heavyweight.
#5. Jon Jones vs. Alexander Volkov
To some, Alexander Volkov might seem like a poor choice for a bad matchup for Jon Jones, least of all given his struggles defending takedowns from the likes of Tom Aspinall and Curtis Blaydes. However, Volkov's style of engagement and manner of takedown defense might trouble Jones more than fight fans might realize, especially considering that Jon Jones' had trouble taking down Thiago Santos, an opponent with even worse defensive wrestling than Volkov.
There is a reason behind why Jones had more success taking down Daniel Cormier, a highly credentialed wrestler when compared to Alexander Gustafsson. Jon Jones benefits tremendously from his length as it enables him to wrap his arms around his opponents' legs with great ease. Furthermore, even when his foes spread their legs apart to widen their base, his arms are long enough that he can hook his hands behind their thighs to complete a double-leg takedown.
Cormier, like most of Jones' former foes, was much shorter than him. Gustafsson, however, was an inch taller, so when he widened his base, Jon Jones couldn't hook his hands behind his legs, exposing the gaps in the former champion's wrestling. Jones' most successful takedown against Gustafsson came in their rematch, but only after the Swede tore his groin.
Volkov always widens his base to defend against double-leg takedowns, and at 6'7" in height, he's two inches taller than the man Jones struggled to take down due to his length being nullified. Additionally, against Volkov, Jon Jones will not possess the reach advantage he typically enjoys against his foes. Volkov is three inches taller than 'Bones', cutting Jones' reach advantage down to 81.5 inches.
#4. Tom Aspinall
While Tom Aspinall has not been consistently tested against top five heavyweights, he ranks as a difficult opponent for Jon Jones due to stylistic and physical variables. Standing at 6'5" in height with a 78-inch reach, Aspinall closely matches the physical dimensions of Alexander Gustafsson, the toughest challenge of Jones' career. As in the previous entry, Jones struggles to wrestle opponents who are taller than him.
Furthermore, Aspinall's wrestling will trouble Jones. Alexander Gustafsson was the first fighter to take 'Bones' down inside the octagon, and it was for much of the same reason that Jones' wrestling was only effective against shorter foes. Jones relies on his length to widen his base enough that his opponents can't hook their arms behind his legs. Aspinall, however, can. Additionally, Jones' habit of throwing naked low kicks with no setup is ideal for the Englishman.
Most of Aspinall's takedowns come from timing his opponents when they throw naked low kicks. Once his opponent's kicking leg is airborne and they're standing on one foot, Aspinall dives in to upset their balance when their footing is weakest. Additionally, the Englishman's crisp and speedy boxing will stifle much of the former champion's striking offense with the exception of his kicks.
Jon Jones is at his most confident when his kicks neutralize his foes and force them to operate from a defensive shell. However, against opponents who actively prolong boxing exchanges over the top, he struggles due to his own boxing consisting of little more than 1-2 combinations and the odd potshot.
#3. Curtis Blaydes
The most prominent wrestler in the heavyweight division, Curtis Blaydes is an athletic fighter gifted with the kind of frame to trouble Jon Jones, as is the case with every fighter on this list. Over 21 fights, Blaydes has only lost thrice. Of those losses, two were against reigning champion Francis Ngannou, while one came against Derrick Lewis. Blaydes' vulnerability is against counterpunchers who possess otherworldly knockout power.
This is due to his wrestling instincts interfering with his defensive striking. Blaydes uses exaggerated head movement that can be timed, especially when he's level changing. However, only powerful punchers can capitalize on this. Additionally, as a striker, 'Razor' is active with feints, rendering it more difficult for Jones to determine when to throw low kicks. It is Blaydes' wrestling, however, that will trouble Jones the most.
Beyond simply being large enough that Jon Jones will struggle to secure takedowns against him, Curtis Blaydes has styled his wrestling skillset to outwrestle foes larger than himself. As a result, Blaydes shoots in on the hips, sometimes wrapping his arms above his opponent's waist, closer to their upper back.
Since Jon Jones relies on widening his base as his primary means of takedown defense, Blaydes' grip being around the mid-to-upper back instead of around the legs or waist presents a threat that 'Bones' is not used to encountering inside the octagon. Furthermore, 'Razor' often cuts angles when doing so, which is what Alexander Gustafsson did to take Jones down for the first time in his career.
#2. Ciryl Gane
Ciryl Gane recently claimed victory on home soil against one of the heavyweight division's most powerful fighters in Tai Tuivasa. The Frenchman reminded the world of his vaunted kicking game as he punished Tuivasa's legs and body en route to a brutal knockout win. Standing at 6'4" inches tall with a reach of 81 inches, 'Bon Gamin' is exactly the kind of striker that Jones will struggle to post and retreat from. Like Gustafsson, the Frenchman's height and length will trouble Jones.
Whenever Jon Jones faces committed punchers or jabbers, he neutralizes their boxing by hand-fighting. Gane is not a committed puncher but he is a committed jabber. What favors him, however, is that Gane frequently fakes the jab to draw foes into hand-fighting. With his opponent's focus on his hands, the Frenchman smashes his leg into their exposed midsection as their arms are outstretched. This effectively nullifies Jones' hand-fighting.
Additionally, the threat of Jon Jones' wrestling will not be pronounced due to the stylistic struggles the former light heavyweight champion will encounter when trying to hook his hands behind the widened legs of someone matching his frame. The true danger Jones will face against Gane, however, is the Frenchman's counter-kicking. Often-times, Jon Jones throws naked low kicks without fear of being countered.
In the light heavyweight division, there are very few competent kickers. Furthermore, Jon Jones remains taller and longer than most, allowing him to kick from a distance where he can land but his foes can't. He has never been counter-kicked, while Gane specializes in counter-kicking. Against Tai Tuivasa, the Frenchman exhibited the depth of his counter-kicking abilities.
Like Jones, Tuivasa throws naked low kicks. Within seconds, Gane drew his foe's kicks by feinting a heavy step with his lead leg. Once Tuivasa took the bait, Gane retracted his leg, pulling his heel to the rear of his thigh, causing Tuivasa to kick ahead of himself. With his foe's kicking leg in the air, Gane pulled his leg back into stance before throwing kicks at either the body or legs.
As Thiago Santos demonstrated, Jones' thin legs and low stance mean he's exposed to hard low kicks.
#1. Francis Ngannou
After Francis Ngannou's first outing against Stipe Miocic, no one would have described him as one of Jon Jones' most difficult matchups in the heavyweight division. However, the strides 'The Predator' has made to improve his overall game cannot be understated. Against Miocic, the Cameroonian's defensive wrestling was impregnable as he correctly widened his base and immediately dug for underhooks before snapping his foe down.
As has been mentioned several times in this piece, Jones struggles against tall and long opponents who widen their base, rendering him unable to hook his hands behind their legs. At 6'4" inches in height with an 83-inch reach, Ngannou more than fits that description. Additionally, the Cameroonian's striking will prove nightmarish for Jones to deal with due to the specifics of the former light heavyweight champion's defensive striking.
One of the reasons Alexander Gustafsson was so successful against Jones in their initial matchup was similar to why Dominick Reyes was similarly successful. Jones' primary means of striking defense consists of extending his lead arm to post his hand out as a barrier while raising his rear hand up to his chin as he leans away and retreats from strikes.
Against shorter foes, it is a nearly bulletproof shield as it causes them to either miss or overextend to such an extent that any blow that lands has no power. Against opponents who are tall and long enough to still reach Jones even when he posts and retreats, 'Bones' struggles. Gustafsson came within an inch of beating the former champion, while Dominick Reyes pushed him further than most.
Ngannou possesses a reach of 83 inches, which is longer than the reach of any previous Jones opponent. Against him, Jones' habit of posting and retreating will be all but useless. The only other means of striking defense that Jon Jones possesses is blocking, which is notoriously difficult to do against Ngannou due to his long forearms changing the dynamics of a boxing guard.
Against Ngannou, all it takes is one punch, and given how poorly Jones' method of defensive striking matches up against Ngannou's, he'll struggle to stop 'The Predator' from landing his power shot.
