Demetrious Johnson reveals which fighter Jon Jones will find it easier to beat - Stipe Miocic or Francis Ngannou
Demetrious Johnson is confident about the chances of Jon Jones flourishing in the UFC heavyweight division. He believes Jones' well-rounded MMA skillset will help him overpower his fellow heavyweights.
Jon Jones is currently bulking up to make his debut in the heavyweight division. He is expected to challenge the winner of the upcoming UFC 260 headliner between Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou.
According to Johnson, in a recent interview with Helen Yee, the former light heavyweight kingpin will find Ngannou easier to beat than he would Miocic.
Johnson said Miocic would pose more of a danger to Jon Jones considering he is skilled in different aspects of MMA, and that he "always figures a way out":
"If he (Jon Jones) fights Francis (Ngannou), I think the fight will be a lot easier. All he has to do is negate the power. If he fights Stipe (Miocic), it's going to be a lot harder fight. I feel like Stipe is more well-rounded, he can wrestle. Stipe has been dropped before, he's been down in the scorecards, he comes back, he always figures a way out. It's going to be a great fight, whoever he fights," said Johnson.
Demetrious Johnson wants Jon Jones to maintain his muscles
In the same interview, Demetrious Johnson added that he would like Jon Jones to keep his abs, and maintain his muscles instead of gaining body fat. The former UFC flyweight great also said 'Bones' being taller will significantly assist him in succeeding in the heavyweight division:
"He said he is rocking around like 245 (lbs). I would have liked him to keep some abs, and keep some more muscle instead of fatness on his body. But he is trying to bulk up to compensate for being smaller. If he was shorter, I think you have a lot more problems, but for him being taller, putting the weight on, I think he's just going to be fine. I think he is well-rounded, he can wrestle, kickbox, Muay Thai, he's going to be fine," said Johnson.
Jon Jones relinquished his light heavyweight championship in August last year after a decade of domination in the 205-pound weight class. It is rumored that he may fight the winner of Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou before the end of 2021.