Jon Jones' coach explains why 'Bones' will probably walk away from the sport earlier than fans expect
Jon Jones' heavyweight debut was nothing short of impressive. He was able to pick up a dominant first-round submission victory over Ciryl Gane to become the division's 18th undisputed champion of all time.
His striking coach, Brandon Gibson, recently shared that he isn't sure how much longer 'Bones' will compete in mixed martial arts.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani of The MMA Hour, Gibson stated:
"I don’t know, I’ll leave that up to Jon. I think physically and mentally he can go a long ways, and we’ve seen so many great heavyweights have incredible performances throughout their 40s - I mean, even Stipe [Miocic] is 41, but I think Jon’s going to be one of those athletes that walks away early."
He added:
"He’s going to walk away early, I think so. I think Jon will ride off into the sunset, and us, as MMA fans, will still be clamoring for one more or talking about potential matchups, but I don’t think Jon’s going to have too much more to prove."
Check out Brandon Gibson's comments on Jon Jones below (starting at the 2:06:27 mark):
When asked if Jon Jones could retire after defending his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic, Gibson noted that 'Bones' has plenty of fire and motivation to continue fighting. He added that age is just a mindset for the heavyweight champion.
Daniel Cormier shares thoughts on Jon Jones' heavyweight debut
Jon Jones' heavyweight career got off to an impressive start as the longtime light heavyweight champion needed just over two minutes to finish Ciryl Gane.
UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier, who was a longtime rival to 'Bones,' shared his thoughts on the performance, stating:
"Jones doesn't look like the same guy in the octagon. He's a tad bit slower, his movements aren't as quick and dynamic, but that's what you expect for a guy that puts on that much weight, but when he went out there, he seemed to be having a good time... Hats off to Jon Jones for doing something he said he was going to do by winning the fight, but not only winning the fight, winning the fight impressively."
Check out Daniel Cormier's comments on Jones' heavyweight debut below (starting at the 1:08 mark):
While Cormier could be correct in his analysis, it is hard to truly gauge Jones' movement as he quickly finished his opponent.
It is unrealistic to expect 'Bones' to have the same speed after moving up to heavyweight. However, it is evident that his skills translated to the division as he was able to defeat the No.1-ranked heavyweight without taking any significant damage.