Dan Hardy isn’t certain how nicely Jon Jones will transition to heavyweight.
Jones (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) will lastly make his heavyweight debut when he meets Ciryl Gane (11-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) for the vacant title within the UFC 285 headliner March 4 at T-Cell Area in Las Vegas.
The previous gentle heavyweight champion has bulked up considerably since he final competed in February 2020, however Hardy questions if all of the bodily presents he possessed at 205 kilos will serve him nicely.
“We don’t know the way he’s going to carry out with the larger body,” Hardy instructed MMA Junkie. “In fact he’s obtained the peak and attain for heavyweight – (6-foot-4), 84.5 inches (attain). He might fairly simply develop into heavyweight, however then would he be the identical fighter he was at gentle heavyweight? The occasions that he struggled at gentle heavyweight is when he was taking up somebody that had comparable bodily attributes.
“Bear in mind the primary (Alexander) Gustafsson struggle, that was very problematic for him to start with. Dominick Reyes was a ache for him at occasions, and I really feel like Jon offers up a number of his pure benefits that he had at gentle heavyweight when he strikes to heavyweight.”
Jones’ heavyweight debut will come towards arguably probably the most agile fighter within the division in Gane. “Bon Gamin’s” motion has troubled all of his opposition to date, and Hardy expects him to be a stern take a look at for Jones.
“Like Ciryl Gane’s 6-4, 79-inch attain or one thing like that, but it surely’s gonna be akin to Jon Jones in ways in which say a Daniel Cormier wasn’t again at gentle heavyweight,” Hardy stated. “And the best way Ciryl Gane strikes is like gentle heavyweights did when Jon Jones was champion – the higher ones. I feel that is going to be an actual problem for him, and it’s tough to type of image Jon Jones in a heavyweight body. What does he transfer like? What methods has he deserted? Is he going to have nervousness related to as a result of now he appears like he fills up with lactate and his muscle tissues begin to burn?”
He continued, “We all know how good Ciryl Gane is, and the rationale why he’s so good is as a result of he does a number of issues Jon Jones did so nicely at gentle heavyweight. I nearly assume it could have been simpler for Jones to tackle Ngannou, as a result of a minimum of you recognize what you’re getting. When he begins to maneuver, you bought to get out of the best way. However Ciryl Gane by no means stops transferring, so you may’t at all times keep out of the best way, and we’ve seen Jon Jones type of get outpointed somewhat bit at occasions by folks that have gotten a great work price and a protracted attain.”
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Pictures: Jon Jones by the years
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Twitter reacts to Francis Ngannou’s UFC launch, Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane title struggle
