Getty Jon Jones looks on prior to his UFC Light Heavyweight Title bout against Thiago Santos.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson claimed that Jon Jones has a weak chin.
Having stayed out of action for over two years and a half, former UFC light heavyweight king Jones has kept on the sidelines in preparations for a move up to the heavyweight division. His last showing under the banner was against Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 in Feb. 2020, a razor-thin contest in which Jones came out on top of the judges’ scorecards.
While Jones waits to make his highly-anticipated debut at heavyweight, “Rampage” Jackson shared his thoughts on how Jones would fare in the biggest and the ‘baddest’ weight class.
Jackson claimed that Jones has a weak chin, which could get exposed by the hard-hitting heavyweights. He also labeled Jones as a ‘dirty’ fighter who does not shy away from using shady tactics to earn a victory.
“I don’t know about Jon Jones’ chin,” Rampage told TMZ. “There’s been rumors that he don’t got a strong chin. The heavyweights, man, they hit harder but I feel like Jones is a smart fighter and it was really hard for me to hit him. He wouldn’t let me hit him. Granted, Jones is a dirty fighter, when you get close to him, he is going to poke you in the eye, and kick your knee backward.
“He’s a long fighter but heavyweights, they’re different monsters man. They hit hard. They catch you slipping, and hit you with one, look at Francis Ngannou. That guy hits you, it’s lights out, game over.”
“Rampage” Believes Jones Should Get a Warm-Up Fight
After Jones announced his decision to go to heavyweight, he got linked for a super fight against the reigning UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, one of the scariest athletes in the promotion with deadly knockout power.
“Rampage” believes the massive weight difference could work against Jones and recommends him to get a tune-up bout for his debut with a relatively easier opponent than “The Predator,” who is reportedly tipping the scales at nearly 300-pounds while in recovery from a knee injury.
“I would say, his first heavyweight fight, he should do a warm-up,” Jackson continued. “He shouldn’t go in there with the big boys. I think he should do a warm-up, maybe fight someone like 230-lb, you don’t want to fight nobody that’s 265-lb. That’s one thing I don’t like about the UFC, they don’t believe in giving warm-ups.”
Ngannou’s Coach Revealed They’re Targeting a Return Early 2023
Eric Nicksick of Xtreme Couture MMA and head coach of Ngannou recently revealed that his pupil would likely not be back inside the cage this year. He shared that Ngannou would need longer to heal and suggested early 2023 as the ideal timeline for his return.
Coach Nicksick would also like Ngannou to fight Jones in his comeback but would be content getting a trilogy bout with Stipe Miocic, the former UFC heavyweight champion.
“The fight that makes the most sense is obviously Jon Jones,” Nicksick told MMA Fighting. “That’s the fight we all want. The way I look at it is, Jon Jones has been out for two and a half years. If we can’t do it in December, and depending on the way the UFC schedule plays out, maybe [it can happen] in January or February, somewhere in that timeline.
“Jon hasn’t fought in so long, Stipe hasn’t fought since Francis beat him, so that will be two years for Stipe in March, so might as well wait another month for the super fight and the fight to make.
“Honestly, for me, I’d love the Stipe fight again, or the Jones fight, but if I had my choice between the two, obviously I want to compete against the best to ever do it, in my opinion, and that’s Jon Jones.”