5 reasons why Jon Jones will succeed at heavyweight

Fight fans have been awaiting Jon Jones' heavyweight debut since 2020 when the former UFC light heavyweight champion took a sabbatical from his previous division to move up a weight class and challenge for the greatest prize in all of MMA: the UFC heavyweight championship.

Alas, it has been 2 years with no appearance from 'Bones' inside the octagon. Observers fear that Jones' absence might extend to 3 years as the former champion continuously puts off his debut to further grow into his new heavyweight frame. Despite the delays, Jon Jones is as well-suited as any fighter has ever been to conquer the division above him.

At heavyweight, 'Bones' will not struggle as many predict he will. Instead, he will likely find a shocking degree of success for five reasons that this list will now explore.

---

#5. Jon Jones' frame

Jon Jones' physical stature is a genetic lottery. The MMA great stands at 6 feet 4 inches in height while boasting what remains the longest reach in UFC history with a wingspan of 84.5 inches. Thus, not only will Jones not experience a reach disadvantage against anyone, but he will enjoy a reach advantage over every single opponent he might potentially face in his new weight class.

Furthermore, Jones' thinner but wider skeletal frame means the percentage of muscle he can add to his bones is higher than what someone with a thicker skeletal frame might be able to do. As a result, 'Bones' will be a shockingly strong heavyweight by the time he steps inside the octagon, with even former UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier once describing how stunned he was to discover just how strong Jones was when they fought.

---

#4. Jon Jones' kicks

In the heavyweight division, most of the fighters that Jon Jones will compete against will find him incredibly difficult to strike against. As MMA fighters become better boxers, they've learned to extend their stances as they step in when they throw jabs. Unfortunately, this further exposes them to the tactics that Jon Jones employs to neutralize his foes. As a striker, 'Bones' is mainly an outfighter who uses oblique kicks, push kicks and side kicks that target his opponent's lead leg.

Specifically, Jones snaps back the knee of his opponent's lead leg every time they step in, intercepting their movement and hyperextending the joint. The accumulative damage of such techniques not only slows down Jones' opponents, but it also damages their lead leg enough that they cannot sit down on their punches to land with threatening power.

These vicious kicks will be especially effective if 'Bones' faces Francis Ngannou for the title given the reigning champion's surgically repaired knees. It will not bode well for the likes of Tom Aspinall either, given his recent knee injury. Furthermore, Tai Tuivasa's boxing-centric approach is tailormade for an outkicker to exploit.

---

#3. Jon Jones remains one of the best in-fighters in the sport

Both fans and opponents often mistake Jon Jones for being an outfighter by necessity. Instead, 'Bones' is an outfighter by choice. Many were shocked to learn that the light heavyweight legend is one of the greatest in-fighters in MMA. Due to his base as a mixed martial artist being Greco-Roman wrestling, Jones is well-versed in the clinch and uses a series of techniques when trapping his opponents in the clinch.

Among these techniques is his famous shoulder crank. Whenever an opponent like Glover Teixeira secures a non-committal underhook against him, Jones immediately dedicates both his hands to a shoulder crank, using his considerable height and length to generate terrifying amounts of torque. Besides shoulder cranks, Jones also makes liberal use of wrist-grips to create openings for his elbows and uppercuts. Specifically, the former champion uses a thumbs-down wrist-grip.

The anchoring or hooking point of every wrist-grip is the thumb. So in order to break a wrist-grip, a trapped foe must yank their arm in the direction that the gripping thumb is pointed at. Jones specifically points his gripping thumb downward, forcing his foes to yank their arms downwards and away from their upper-body, exposing their heads to elbows over the top.

Once his opponents start ducking under his elbows, they unknowingly duck into an uppercut or knee. Jones' viciousness as an in-fighter, without even taking his Greco-Roman wrestling into account, means that whether the fight is on the outside or inside, opponents are not safe against him.

---

#2. Jon Jones' wrestling

Jon Jones is nearly impossible to take down and outright impossible to hold down for any considerable amount of time. Even Daniel Cormier, an Olympic-caliber wrestler, struggled to secure takedowns against Jones, while also conceding several takedowns to his rival. Because of his extremely long reach, Jones is able to hook his arms behind his opponent's legs even when they widen their base to defend his takedowns. His arms are simply that long.

Conversely, even when highly skilled wrestlers like Daniel Cormier try to take him down, Jones widens his long legs, preventing a foe's hands from hooking behind his legs to complete a takedown. This renders 'Bones' an outrageously effective wrestler while also making him nearly impossible to take down.

Strikers will encounter a frustrating puzzle against Jones, just as wrestlers will find him to be a conundrum that cannot be taken down but can somehow take all others down.

---

#1. Jon Jones' is a seasoned fighter

Jon Jones has faced nearly every type of fighter there is in MMA. He's crossed paths with high-level wrestlers, brutally powerful punchers, well-rounded generalists, elusive counter-strikers, explosive kickboxers and more. No one has managed to defeat 'Bones'. Whenever fans of Khabib Nurmagomedov make their case for the Russian's greatness, Jones defenders eagerly point out that Jones has more UFC title fights than Nurmagomedov has UFC fights.

Unfortunately, in the case of UFC heavyweights, it is a statement that rings true. Jones has a breadth of experience due to not only facing a varied set of foes, but also due to having fought multiple generations of the world's greatest light heavyweights. Thus, 'Bones' has experience dealing with almost any challenge that can come his way, while many of the fighters in the notoriously shallow heavyweight division have only ever encountered a handful of elite fighters.