Bones is not a heavyweight

[gotBooched]

I'd like to preface this by stating I am not a Bones fan. Not even close. In fact every time he fights I wish for him to get KTFO.

That being said - I've seen several people calling Bones a "pussy" for not moving up to HW.

Bones is not a heavyweight. During his reign he walked around at what 220, has no problem making 205, he's never lost there, if he ever fights again (i.e. stays crime-free) he has a DC rematch, an AJ fight and if Gus puts together a solid victory or two, a Gus rematch.

A move to heavyweight for Jones should be permanent. He'd need to be coming in at 240 to hang with the likes of Cain or JDS, though I think he handily beats just about everyone else even as a LHW. The Reem, Brock, Hunt, Werdum are old as shit and Stipe being champ is similar to the reign of Chris "The Archaeologist" Weidman - a champ in the right place at the right time defending against legends who are beyond their primes. Jones would smoke Stipe Miocic. There's no reason for him to "fear" moving to HW outside of the uncertainty of future fights at 205.

Anyway, for me, as shallow as LHW is, the more exciting fights are there, he owes it to the three LHW's mentioned above to fight there and after that I think it would make sense to move up for HW for him only because it's a new challenge and he would have officially cleaned out LHW.

Your thoughts?

 

[Claude]

He's been shredded at 240 lbs and has said he's stronger than many HW's.

“I was 240 [pounds] at one point two months ago, lifting all types of crazy weight”

"I'm totally comfortable going rounds with big guys, and now that I have the strength of a heavyweight my confidence is through the roof," Jones told Helwani.

"I actually think I'm physically stronger than a lot of them right now, and my skills speaks for themselves."

The only reason he doesn't move up is because he knows he needs his size, reach and leverage to win. He wants to fight guys he knows he can pick up like kids

If those were Cain, JDS, Overeem, Miocic, etc. he simply wouldn't be able to do that. Jones has looked less impressive when he faced guys he couldn't impose his size/reach on.

Seriously, why would he want to face those adversities at HW repeatedly? Some people think HW is some weak division, but in reality it's the hardest.

 

[gotBooched]

He's been shredded at 240 lbs and has said he's stronger than many HW's.

He also has only fought once in almost two years.

 

[norsuu]

he is a hw (not 265 lbs, but hw) who cut to 205....cause he is afraid to fight vs top hws

 

[Mentallooser]

i think you are relating 2 things that aren't necessarily required for one to be true. Jones walks around at very much the same weight as many heavyweights. What separates him is his ability to cut weight while maintaining almost all physical attributes.

that doesn't mean that he's afraid to fight at hw. he is fighting at what he feels is his optimal weight class. we can't really argue that point as we can see his level of dominance

 

[bigma]

Totally agree. I think he could move up and do well against most of the competition, but he's not a behemoth. He said on the JRE that he was 225 during the height of his weight lifting, which means he was probably slouching on the endurance, so he was probably walks around 220-225. As for him needing a size advantage to win, meh. He still has a longer reach than all but a few heavyweights and is more dynamic and explosive than all of them. I don't think he'd struggle with the size differential, but there would be more of a threat of Rumble-esque kill shots.

 

[Deleted member 501827]

How is he not a HW? He fights in the cage at 220 which is within the HW category of 205-265. Cro Cop fought the majority of his career as a HW at around 220-225 in his prime. Fedor and Nog not much more than that. And Jones would still be in great shape at 230+. He also has a massive frame far bigger than most HWs with a reach tied with Struves. Also 6'4+ inches tall. He simply is a HW who cuts to LHW to avoid the big boys. FACT.

 

[5 insightful]

Your thoughts?

Jon Jones can fight in any weight class that Jon Jones wants. It's nobody else's business.

Also, he has always made 205 with no problems, and he's been able to fight very effectively at that weight. (Unlike Rumble at 170 for example.)

 

[Johnsonville]

Crocop and big big were in the low to mid 220s during pride. Although the division has gotten substantially bigger since then

~DaViD~

 

[Tephlon]

he is a hw (not 265 lbs, but hw) who cut to 205....cause he is afraid to fight vs top hws

Why would you think he's afraid. 205 division makes sense for him given his size. He has a wierd body. Huge upper body and chicken legs. I'm sorry but him walking around at 220+ not in fight shape is not the same as most heavyweights who weigh in at least 240 in fight shape and some who actually have to cut to make the 265 limit.

 

[Tephlon]

How is he not a HW? He fights in the cage at 220 which is within the HW category of 205-265. Cro Cop fought the majority of his career as a HW at around 220-225 in his prime. Fedor and Nog not much more than that. And Jones would still be in great shape at 230+. He also has a massive frame far bigger than most HWs with a reach tied with Struves. Also 6'4+ inches tall. He simply is a HW who cuts to LHW to avoid the big boys. FACT.

Relax how many times has he fought in the last two years? Keep in mind he's always said his goal is to eventually fight heavyweight. His plans have obviously been sidetracked of late and would make no sense for him to jump into HW divison right away. He'll come back to LHW, if he wins back the belt, he'll move up for sure. Given everything you know about Jones , you actually think he's ducking people and scared?? Thats childish

 

[FightorFlight20]

How is he not a HW? He fights in the cage at 220 which is within the HW category of 205-265. Cro Cop fought the majority of his career as a HW at around 220-225 in his prime. Fedor and Nog not much more than that. And Jones would still be in great shape at 230+. He also has a massive frame far bigger than most HWs with a reach tied with Struves. Also 6'4+ inches tall. He simply is a HW who cuts to LHW to avoid the big boys. FACT.

You're dumber than a thousand boxes of rocks. The HWs nowaday are actually cutting weight to reach 265. So you're saying Jones should enter the cage in his walk-around weight of 220 against guys who will be coming in between 265-290? Don't forget the HWs of Fedor and Big Nog days were actually MW and LHWs. The larger ones (like Akebono and Bob Sapp) were more clowns than actual fighters. Cro Cop (all respect to him), was fighting Wanderlei Silva and a bunch of 180-lbs Japanese dudes calling themselves HW. Can Wanderlei or any of those Japanese dudes survive a round with today's UFC Heavyweight? Lastly, writing "FACT" in big 'ol capital letters after a dumb comment doesn't give it any more credibility than its actually worth.

 

[Peoples]

He's a heavyweight....and he's cutting not because he's afraid, it's just smart. Why throw away advantages if you can do the weight cut?

LMAO about UFC fighters being "afraid" about fighting. They're all afraid of fighting...it's the human nature. Without the adrenaline caused out of fear, you would be an easy target.

 

[CTYankee]

How is he not a HW? He fights in the cage at 220 which is within the HW category of 205-265. Cro Cop fought the majority of his career as a HW at around 220-225 in his prime. Fedor and Nog not much more than that. And Jones would still be in great shape at 230+. He also has a massive frame far bigger than most HWs with a reach tied with Struves. Also 6'4+ inches tall. He simply is a HW who cuts to LHW to avoid the big boys. FACT.

Guy weighs in with pants on. He's a LHW. He's not even a big LHW, just a tall one.

Only people saying he's a HW are people who hate him because he made their favorite fighter look like an amateur.

 

[FadeLess]

 

[Led]

I don't consider his fighting weight to be indicative of the fact that he's not a true HW. He has the frame of a HW and it's not even a question. The man is 6'4 with the reach of a man who is 6'9. Jones chooses to keep his weight low so he can fight at 205. Not saying he's a pu**y for doing it, but it's very much his choice to stay at LHW and not fight HW.

 

[MisterDizzy]

If the HW limit is 205 and he walks around at 220 then yes he is a natural heavyweight.

 

[FightorFlight20]

He's a heavyweight....and he's cutting not because he's afraid, it's just smart. Why throw away advantages if you can do the weight cut?

LMAO about UFC fighters being "afraid" about fighting. They're all afraid of fighting...it's the human nature. Without the adrenaline caused out of fear, you would be an easy target.

Agree. Saying a fighter is afraid of fighting is like saying a pilot is afraid of flying. Whatever fear they may have doesn't stop them from doing what they chose as a career, does it?

 

[FightorFlight20]

MisterDizzy wrote "If the HW limit is 205 and he walks around at 220 then yes he is a natural heavyweight."

That would make most of the HWs super-heavyweight instead, since they naturally walk around above 265. The same can be applied to other weight classes and fighters. If your natural weight is 220, do you want to get into the cage with an equally trained fighter whose natural weight is 270?

 

[Benjamin Burton]

jones said in his rogan podcast yesterday hes walking around at 230. thats about what fedor walked around at in his prime.

imo a true lhw walks around at 215-220.