How long can Jon Jones rule the heavyweight division?

How long can Jon Jones rule the heavyweight division?

Jon Jones made history at UFC 285 as he submitted Ciryl Gane to win the UFC heavyweight belt. More importantly, he cemented his legacy as the greatest fighter the sport has ever seen. That leaves us with one question: how long can Jones rule the heavyweight division? Let’s run through the state of the division and evaluate how long he can rule the division.

Jon Jones’ heavyweight debut

It is not a secret that Jones is one of the most skilled fighters of all time. However, there were a lot of questions surrounding his new heavyweight physique and three-year layoff. Those factors did not negatively affect him in the octagon though. It looks like Jones will fit into the heavyweight division well.

If there is a reason to be worried about Jones at heavyweight it would revolve around his striking. Jones did not look as fluid on the feet as he did at light heavyweight. At the same time, that can be cleaned up before his next fight. The weight gain did greatly improve his wrestling, however. There are some clear strengths and weaknesses to the changes. With that being said, as time goes on, Jones will only grow into his heavyweight frame.

Stipe Miocic

Forecasting Jones’ future is slightly easier since we already know his next fight will be against Stipe Miocic. That will not be an easy fight. Miocic is a solid wrestler and could fight off some of the wrestling that Jones can offer. Plus, he is a great boxer who could cause Jones problems on the feet. Maybe that is why Miocic is so confident that he can defeat Jones. With that being said, it is incredibly difficult to say that Miocic can dethrone Jones after his performance against Gane.

Francis Ngannou

The one name that could really make Jones’ title run interesting is Francis Ngannou. Ngannou is obviously a free agent after the UFC released him. A fight between the pair is still a possibility though. The rivalry between the two is alive and well since Jon dissed and slammed Ngannou in the build-up to UFC 285.

If these two square off, I have to give it to Jones. Simply put, I think Jones would be able to out-grapple Ngannou. I do not think that is a controversial thing to say.

The rest of the heavyweight

The remainder of the heavyweight division features some interesting names. The most notable include Curtis Blaydes, Sergei Pavlovich, Tom Aspinall, and a few others. I am not jumping out of my seat to claim that any of these guys give Jones problems. I think Blaydes’ wrestling would provide an interesting matchup; however, his striking probably would not hold up to Jones’. Pavlovich has the knockout power that could put Jones to sleep, but I would imagine Jones would quickly look to wrestle in that fight. Aspinall may be the most well-rounded heavyweight. The issue with Aspinall is that his injury may prevent him from reaching a title fight before Jones retires. Even if he can, there is no reason to say that he can beat Jones simply because he has no clear weakness. In short, I have a hard time finding a heavyweight that I think can beat Jones barring regression in the future.

The Answer

It looks like Jones can rule the heavyweight division until he retires. That may be an overreaction, but I have no reason to believe otherwise at this point. As I said, if Jones begins to slow down with age, he could be caught. It is tough to predict when that day will come through. I also do not think that Jones will remain in the sport for a long time. If Jones can get through Miocic, he may retire. Overall, I think Jones will rule the division for a handful of fights, but I expect him to retire before he loses the belt. I will say, Miocic has the record with four heavyweight title defenses. Jones may attempt to surpass that mark which is very likely.

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