Cruiserweight’ Jon Jones would have ‘tremendous’ success against UFC heavyweights
UFC

Cruiserweight’ Jon Jones would have ‘tremendous’ success against UFC heavyweights

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JacksonWink MMA coach Brandon Gibson give his take on a possible heavyweight run fo

With plans to reclaim the UFC light heavyweight title aside, competing at heavyweight is also on the table for Jon Jones. One matchup that he says is “always appealing” to him is against former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.

His coaches at the JacksonWink Academy in Albuquerque share the same sentiment. Brandon Gibson, for one, says a move to heavyweight is inevitable.

“I think the day will come,” Gibson told Luke Thomas on a recent episode of The MMA Hour (via MMA Fighting). “I think Jon’s focus right now is just to continue his light heavyweight reign and solidify his legacy as a light heavyweight. Maybe the day will come where it’s at heavyweight, but I don’t think it’s right around the corner.

“It’s not something we’re talking about, but if the right opportunity came, I think it would be easy for Jon.

“I don’t think he’d put on a massive amount of weight or anything like that,” he continued. “I think he could go in there at kind of a more cruiserweight, like a 225, 235, and have a tremendous amount of success against these guys. I mean, I saw it all of the [rounds we’ve done] sparring against well known heavyweights out of the JacksonWink gym, so I know Jon’s capable of it. I think his focus right now is a light heavyweight reign though.”

Jones’ legacy had been greatly tainted by his multiple drug test failures in the UFC alone, but in his mind, being recognized as the Greatest of All-Time is still a very big deal.

“It is [on his mind] and I think it’s something he really wants to solidify, so I think part of it’s just going to come with time and trust and making statements,” Gibson said of Jones. “The second DC fight, I feel like we were right on the path, and then we got derailed a little bit.

“So Jon’s going to come out and make another statement, and I think we’re just going to have to take it one fight at a time. But I think if Jon is Jon, and he dominates the way he can dominate, at the end of the day there won’t be room for a debate. We still have a lot of time left in this thing.”

For now, Jones will first need to get through Alexander Gustafsson when the face off in a rematch for the light heavyweight title at UFC 232 this Saturday, December 29th at the Forum in Inglewood, California.

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