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SCRAPP! FIGHT MAGAZINE
December - 2014
31
This is all purely hypothetical
at this point as Jon Jones still
has work to do in the UFC
light heavyweight division, but
he has been open to the pos-
sibility of moving up to heavy-
weight for some time now. It’s
really the only move that makes
sense for Jones should he truly
clear out the light heavyweight
division; Jones walks around in
the 230 pound range and he
has the frame to easily support
the extra weight should he ever
make that jump.
MMA Fighting asked middle-
weight contender Luke Rock-
hold about Jones’ chances
against UFC heavyweight
champion and Rockhold’s
training partner Cain Velas-
quez Rockhold simply said,
“Not a chance.”
When you really stop and think
about it he is absolutely right
— Jones would have not a real
shot against a healthy Velas-
quez.
Jones is a great fighter and
the top fighter on my personal
pound-for-pound list, but all
of that would go out of the
window once that cage door
closes. Jones could potentially
be competitive with his reach
and his ability to execute Greg
Jackson game plans to perfec-
tion, but Velasquez is just too
much to handle.
Velasquez is known for two
things, above all else, his te-
nacity and his pace. The pres-
sure Velasquez is able to put on
opponents is what breaks them
— just ask Junior dos Santos.
Even though Jones is a skilled
wrestler in his own right, he
is not in the same league as
Velasquez. Velasquez’s pow-
er, speed, size and technique
would be far too much for
Jones to deal with. Consider-
ing Jones doesn’t have true KO
power, there would be nothing
really keeping Velasquez from
being able to close the dis-
tance.
If Jones were to take some
time to acclimate himself to
the heavyweight division and
pack on the muscle needed
to compete with the modern
heavyweight things might be
different. But if he thinks for
one second that he could be
competitive and just move up
to fight Velasquez because he
walks around at 230, Jones is
delusional.
If there is anyone in the sport
who could really handle Jones
and hand him a decisive loss it’s
Velasquez.
LUKE ROCKHOLD IS RIGHT:
“NOT A CHANCE” JON JONES
BEATS CAIN VELASQUEZ
Article By: RJ Gardner
Luke Rockhold (José Youngs/The MMA Corner)