Jon Jones at HW.

[nikwilliams]

My opinions on how fights could play out in the HW division vs Jones.
Not gonna give my opinion on JDS/Cain vs Jon because there is a lot of threads already about those match ups but here is my opinion on the rest of the top ten.

Werdum. This fight I think would all come down to if Jon could keep the fight standing if he can keep it standing I would favor him in a decision victory. If he cant I could see Werdum subbing him. I personally go with Jones via decision.

Daniel Cormier. I could see Cormier taking Jon down landing ground n pound possible TKO or decision. Now that's not how I personally think the fight would go. I think the first few rounds Cormier would land takedowns Jones being able to get up out landing him on the feet. Cormier would start to tire out and Jones would take it from there in a decision maybe a tko/sub I don't know how good his sub defense is though.

Bigfoot Silva. Honestly think this could be one of his easier matches at HW. Just think Bigfoot is slow and Jon could put on a regular Jon Jones type of fight.

Barnett. This is a fight that I would personally go with Barnett just because the guy can go 5 rounds he is dangerous on the feet and on the ground. But with that said I could also see this fight only being a kick boxing match like we had with Gus and Jon winning a hard fought decision. So I am kind of 50/50 on this one I would pick Barnett but wouldn't be shocked if Jon won.

Frank Mir. Honestly another easy fight for Jon don't think I really go to get into it Frank is on the way out he wouldn't be able to keep up with Jon. I am a Frank Mir fan but the guy would just get worked in my opinion.

Big Nog. Another guy that I see bones beating I think Jones could fight this fight wherever he wanted and win in all spots.

Browne. This seems like a bad match up for Jon in the striking department so I could see Browne getting a KO/TKO. Honestly my opinion on this fight I wouldn't know who to pick I don't know much about Browne's ground game so I dunno if he could do anything from his back or defend takedowns well. This is a fight I would deem a toss up for me.

Overeem. Now I can see Overeem blitzing Jon and finishing him. But I personally think him and his team would find a way to take the blitz tire Overeem out and TKO him later in the fight. Game plan that was all aimed around just surviving that first blitz and going for a late TKO.

These are all my personal opinions and they don't mean jack shit and I could be wrong on every single one of them. I made these opinions based on knowing that Jon has the heart, will, dedication, and team backing him. Is a proven champion. I personally think that Jon Jones has a great chin / ability to absorb punishment and the cardio to make a lot of these fights very competitive. This was also the Sherdog top ten.

 

[sambobjj]

Great thread, TS.

I agree, I think Jon Jones could do just fine in the HW division surprising a lot of people. I think his cardio/conditioning, team, and skillset makes him a worthy competitor against top competition in the HW division.

Even against JDS and Cain, Cain being the tougher competiton for Jones IMO.

With JDS, if Jon can survive the beginning of the fight, then with JDS who is known to tire, Jon may be able to take over the fight in the later part and pull out a victory like he did with Gus when he (Jones) came on strong in the 4th and 5th rounds.

With Cain, Jon has a reach and height advantage and since he has the skills to use this to his advantage, he could spell a lot of trouble for Cain and perhaps win a tough fight.

That said above, of course Cain and JDS could win but I would not rule out Jones.

 

[nikwilliams]

Great thread, TS.

I agree, I think Jon Jones could do just fine in the HW division surprising a lot of people. I think his cardio/conditioning, team, and skillset makes him a worthy competitor against top competition in the HW division.

Even against JDS and Cain, Cain being the tougher competiton for Jones IMO.

With JDS, if Jon can survive the beginning of the fight, then with JDS who is known to tire, Jon may be able to take over the fight in the later part and pull out a victory like he did with Gus when he (Jones) came on strong in the 4th and 5th rounds.

With Cain, Jon has a reach and height advantage and since he has the skills to use this to his advantage, he could spell a lot of trouble for Cain and perhaps win a tough fight.

That said above, of course Cain and JDS could win but I would not rule out Jones.

If JJ and Cain were to fight how do you think the fight would play out? I personally think that both fighters would come with a game plan to really mix it up going for a lot of takedown attempts and kick boxing. I would definitely pick Cain to win it just because I think he has more stopping power in his standing strikes and that could be where the fight takes place. The one thing I think Jones could do though is get some good ground n pound and go for sub attempts. People always hate on Jones standing power but he definitely has power in his ground n pound. So I really think the ground would be the place he has the best chance of winning. Cain has been taken down before so its not completely unreasonable to think that Jon couldn't do it. Jones would have to add some mass for this fight if he did that he would be around the same size as Cain. With the type of athlete Jones is I don't think his cardio would be hurt with extra mass. With all that said though I would still pick Cin and even say that the odds would be like 60/40. Both are hungry champions that are willing to take on any challenge so you cant really rule either one of them out.

 

[dragonclaw]

Against Cain, Bones still has the reach advantage and would stay on the outside picking apart his opponent. There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that Bones couldn't take the belt away from him, and quite easily at that.

Junior Dos Santos would prove to be a tougher challenge on the feet, because their reach is similar, so no advantage to either fighter in that area. With that said, Bones has a solid wrestling background, which is JDS's weakest area. I see Bones taking JDS down at will and imposing his will.

 

[Hans Gercmiov]

Against Cain, Bones still has the reach advantage and would stay on the outside picking apart his opponent. There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that Bones couldn't take the belt away from him, and quite easily at that.

Junior Dos Santos would prove to be a tougher challenge on the feet, because their reach is similar, so no advantage to either fighter in that area. With that said, Bones has a solid wrestling background, which is JDS's weakest area. I see Bones taking JDS down at will and imposing his will.

I agree

 

[nikwilliams]

I do believe that JDS would be his toughest fight at HW just because JDS stand up is very deadly with great TDD defense that is definitely the only weakness bones has shown. I also really believe in JDS's chin so I don't think he would be to worried about Jones standing strikes. That being said I also believe in Jones chin a lot and think he could kick box with JDS spam take downs and try for the route that Cain took in the second fight. I think a lot of people overlook Jones cardio. In my opinion cardio is what makes champions at heavyweight look at all the great champions cardio dominates that division. Fedor/Cain in my opinion the best heavyweight champs they aren't huge HW's and they got cardio for days.

 

[oknenaileme]

My opinions on how fights could play out in the HW division vs Jones.
Not gonna give my opinion on JDS/Cain vs Jon because there is a lot of threads already about those match ups but here is my opinion on the rest of the top ten.

Werdum. This fight I think would all come down to if Jon could keep the fight standing if he can keep it standing I would favor him in a decision victory. If he cant I could see Werdum subbing him. I personally go with Jones via decision.

Daniel Cormier. I could see Cormier taking Jon down landing ground n pound possible TKO or decision. Now that's not how I personally think the fight would go. I think the first few rounds Cormier would land takedowns Jones being able to get up out landing him on the feet. Cormier would start to tire out and Jones would take it from there in a decision maybe a tko/sub I don't know how good his sub defense is though.

Bigfoot Silva. Honestly think this could be one of his easier matches at HW. Just think Bigfoot is slow and Jon could put on a regular Jon Jones type of fight.

Barnett. This is a fight that I would personally go with Barnett just because the guy can go 5 rounds he is dangerous on the feet and on the ground. But with that said I could also see this fight only being a kick boxing match like we had with Gus and Jon winning a hard fought decision. So I am kind of 50/50 on this one I would pick Barnett but wouldn't be shocked if Jon won.

Frank Mir. Honestly another easy fight for Jon don't think I really go to get into it Frank is on the way out he wouldn't be able to keep up with Jon. I am a Frank Mir fan but the guy would just get worked in my opinion.

Big Nog. Another guy that I see bones beating I think Jones could fight this fight wherever he wanted and win in all spots.

Browne. This seems like a bad match up for Jon in the striking department so I could see Browne getting a KO/TKO. Honestly my opinion on this fight I wouldn't know who to pick I don't know much about Browne's ground game so I dunno if he could do anything from his back or defend takedowns well. This is a fight I would deem a toss up for me.

Overeem. Now I can see Overeem blitzing Jon and finishing him. But I personally think him and his team would find a way to take the blitz tire Overeem out and TKO him later in the fight. Game plan that was all aimed around just surviving that first blitz and going for a late TKO.

These are all my personal opinions and they don't mean jack shit and I could be wrong on every single one of them. I made these opinions based on knowing that Jon has the heart, will, dedication, and team backing him. Is a proven champion. I personally think that Jon Jones has a great chin / ability to absorb punishment and the cardio to make a lot of these fights very competitive. This was also the Sherdog top ten.

People usually highlight JBJ's height, but I think the big factor is his streght for the LHW. Tonight he fought someone with similar frame AND STRENGHT, and all his flashy wrestling stuff was nullified.
I see Browne stopping him...

 

[nikwilliams]

People usually highlight JBJ's height, but I think the big factor is his streght for the LHW. Tonight he fought someone with similar frame AND STRENGHT, and all his flashy wrestling stuff was nullified.
I see Browne stopping him...

I could definitely see Browne stopping him as well that fight I just don't know about I don't know what Browne is going to be like on his back or if Jon could put him on his back. Browne's last few fights have been striking so I don't know what his wrestling/jujitsu game is like at the moment he seems to be evolving a lot in the striking so his wrestling could be pretty savage also. I think that Jones would put on a good deal of weight going into HW though so would still see him being pretty strong. I just honestly believe that if Jones does a camp where the fight plan is get this mother fucker to the ground he has a pretty high chance of getting ANYONE in both HW/LHW on their backs.

 

[yo_bancey]

OK you want to talk Browne vs JJ? Look at Browne's last opponent, Overeem. For all his flaws, he has overwhelming strength and power. How many years do you think it will take Jones to catch up to Browne in nontechnical areas such as raw strength and striking power? I also think it is a stretch to assume that Browne's TD will be less robust than that of Gustafson.

How about Schaub? I think he is a huge test for Jones.

I think you are aiming too high. Speculating that Jones can decision the best HW grappler in the world Is putting the cart before the horse.

 

[maksy]

Jones at HW would be a Top 5... Cain,JDS and maybe Werdum beat him

 

[Lanshire]

Jones would be somewhere in the top 6-10 at HW. I don't see him maintaining a top 5 spot at HW. He has skills but it's clear a fair portion of his success at LHW is his size advantage and he wont have such an advantage at HW. He would do well but wouldn't get the belt.

 

[Pancake Sprawl]

Against Cain, Bones still has the reach advantage and would stay on the outside picking apart his opponent. There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that Bones couldn't take the belt away from him, and quite easily at that.

Junior Dos Santos would prove to be a tougher challenge on the feet, because their reach is similar, so no advantage to either fighter in that area. With that said, Bones has a solid wrestling background, which is JDS's weakest area. I see Bones taking JDS down at will and imposing his will.

I doubt He'd be able to keep Cain on the outside. JDS couldn't even keep Cain away from him and JDS is a guy who knocked him the fuck out with 1 punch.

Cain's aggressiveness would force Jones to fight at an unusually high pace against a guy who is much heavier than Gus.

I don't think Cain is going to allow Jones to keep him away with his stiff arm just like Gus didn't. Jones can only keep people away who COMPLY with his style. If the other guy decides to come in, time and time again we have seen there really is nothing stopping you from getting in close to him. Lyoto got in on him more than a few times, Rashad closed the distance a few times, and Gus did it a whole bunch of times.

It's not just that Gus is the same size as Jones, it's the mind set he put himself into to not back down from his stiff arm and side kicks. When Jones did that to everyone else they froze up and it allowed Jones to slow the pace and figure out ways to attack. Against Lyoto it didn't really work but Lyoto's style allows for time to gather your thoughts because he fights in bursts.

Cain is the worst possible match up in my opinion because of this. He's not going to stay on the outside, you HAVE to hurt him and I just don't see Jones being able to do that with the few moves he does have that can hurt opponents which are, spinning elbows, and flying knees, before Cain is able to close the distance and take him down.

While Jones tries to fight a tactical fight from the outside, Cain is going to walk into him, and make it an ugly dog fight. It might not be pretty, but it's very effective.

 

[soiltostone]

.Cain's aggressiveness would force Jones to fight at an unusually high pace against a guy who is much heavier than Gus.
Cain is the worst possible match up in my opinion because of this. He's not going to stay on the outside, you HAVE to hurt him and I just don't see Jones being able to do that with the few moves he does have that can hurt opponents which are, spinning elbows, and flying knees, before Cain is able to close the distance and take him down.

While Jones tries to fight a tactical fight from the outside, Cain is going to walk into him, and make it an ugly dog fight. It might not be pretty, but it's very effective.

This is quite close to what I was gearing up to write. Jones' best work is moving forward, and intimidating guys with his reach and length advantage. I'm curious to see how he does against someone who will pressure him, and force him to move backward.