5 reasons why Jon Jones will succeed at heavyweight

#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.

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#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.