Did Gusta Shatter the Idea That Jones Could Easily Compete At HW?

[MiroHa]

He'd probably make top 10.

 

[youngda9]

I don't think someone like Browne, who the OP mentions, could get his hands on Jones to take him down or pin him against the cage if Jones didn't want him to. He is that much faster.

Having said that I agree that he would not be as effective as so many people seemed to think he would be.

 

[TStoner]

I was already doubting the idea of him being successful at HW, but what Gus did to him pretty much sealed the deal for me.

This.

I felt he could be top 5, now I'm questioning how likely it would be for him to even crack the top 10.

 

[fearoth]

Top 5 easily but I feel someone like JDS is a bad match-up.

 

[theheater]

did anyone catch the vera rothwell fight?

jones would easily be top 5 and i give him a decent shot to beat anyone. the worst nightmare for jones is someone that can handle his reach and land legkicks. overeem on horsemeat would be a really tough fight for jones.

JDS basically uses his hands but theyre lethal and his tdd is superb. tough fight

cain is interesting. cain has shown decent leg kicks but if jones can turn it in to a kickboxing match it would be very interesting.

cormier is really interesting also because i think he has the best wrestling and also has better hands than cain

 

[heavyarms21]

HW is not that deep for me to believe that Jones won't fill out and at least be Mid Level, not terrible , but not great.

 

[SiMntjMMA]

Mid-Level guy probably. His kicking game won't help him in the HW division.

 

[Hans Gercmiov]

I already knew that fool couldn't fight at HW.

 

[Cowb]

Gus maybe made him look more questionable against JDS, but he didn't change my perception against any of Jones' other matchups. Who else in HW has Gus' mix of effective long range striking and excellent TDD? And frankly, I'm not convinced that even JDS has footwork quite as good as Gus'.

JDS, Cain, maybe HW Cormier, and possibly Verdum are interesting matchups that would be tough to call. Maybe also Overeem if he manages not to do something stupid for a whole bout. The other HWs all have holes that we've seen Jones exploit before. Course a KO is always possible against the big guys, but if anything we should be doubting Jones' chin less after Gus.

 

[RoyJonesJr]

He would be top 10. Guys like Werdum, Jds, and Cain would fuck him up. Other guys like Scaub and Bigfoot would probably beat him also.

 

[MCS]

Nah, his skills just don't translate well to HW. No KO power, better, stronger wrestlers with KO power and better boxing at HW.

He's in the same position as before the fight: beats everyone outside the top 5, though does beat Werdum, and loses to Cain, JDS, DC (whichever weight) and Overeem.

Also, Gus didn't just smash his face because of his reach. Jones would tool Forrest, Bonnar in a rematch (since he's not green as hell anymore) and Diabate. Gus' boxing and TDD are tough for any LHW. His skills make him, not his height.

 

[The Mookster]

he looked vulnerable to gus because gus was faster, had great movement, and precision striking.

Under those circumstances, which heavyweights do you believe have those qualities at a high enough level to give JJ problems like gus did? I can't think of any offhand.

JJ is still a beast, its just that alex is also a beast.

 

[Cygnus-X]

Ok, to take this thread seriously for a while:

If Jones moves up, you got to believe that UFC is going immediately for the $$$ and doing the superfight vs the champion. Let's presume that will be Cain.

THIS is a very interesting match-up. Cain is listed as 6'1" but I've seen Cain up close irl and that figure is probably a bit embellished. His reach is listed as 77 which might or might not be accurate (the way they measure reach is a bit flawed for MMA purposes). Which means Jones would enjoy his considerably length and reach advantage that is apparently the only thing that makes him win matches. Given time to bulk up it's also very probably that they will be close in weight to each other.

So a lot of things on paper is in Jones favor here.

I can't help but favor Cain though, because just like Jones he is one of those once-in-a-lifetime athletes. I just can't see Cain being stopped by Jones's attempts to keep him out with his kicks, the way he just relentlessly pursues the takedown and chains strikes from it is scary. Very scary. Even though he's not nearly the boxer Gustafsson is, those takedowns will open up for strikes. His pace is also higher then you'll see in most LHW and even MW fighters.

 

[TewPoint0]

I've always said top 10 but not champ. I'm even more convinced of this now. Jones reputation is tarnished.
GSP needs to shine in his next outing and he'll be P4P king once again.

 

[This and That]

I've never been convinced he can hang with Cain. JDS is rather problematic too. But I think he can hang with most of the division.

 

[scrap style**]

The things jds and Cain would do to him....

 

[Spawned_Fighter]

for sure it did

 

[Someone88]

Jones and Gustafsson would possibly be top 5 heavyweights, but Cain and Dos Santos would more likely beat them.

 

[SowingSeason]

Yeah. He would get destroyed. He wouldn't get anywhere near the title.

 

[Drake]

I was already doubting the idea of him being successful at HW, but what Gus did to him pretty much sealed the deal for me.

Same.