Jon Jones' "movements aren't as quick" at heavyweight, says Daniel Cormier
Jon Jones' heavyweight career got off to just about as perfect of a start as he could have hoped for. UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier, who had one of the most memorable feuds in mixed martial arts history with 'Bones,' recently shared that, despite a dominant first-round submission victory over Ciryl Gane, he doesn't believe the heavyweight champion looks like the same fighter.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, the former double champ stated:
"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."
While Daniel Cormier doesn't believe his longtime rival looked the same, he did praise the performance by adding:
"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):
It is hard to truly get a feeling of Jon Jones' movement as a heavyweight as the fight ended so quickly. The longtime light heavyweight champion appeared to stick to his game plan while picking up a submission victory without taking any damage. Although it is unrealistic to expect 'Bones' to carry the same speed with the extra weight added, it is clear that his skills have translated.
Jon Jones' heavyweight career: Francis Ngannou doesn't expect to ever face 'Bones' in the octagon
Francis Ngannou was expected to face Jon Jones in the latter's heavyweight debut. However, Ngannou's departure from the UFC prevented the fight from occurring. Following 'Bones' claiming the vacant heavyweight title, the former heavyweight champion shared that he doesn't expect the two to meet in the octagon:
"The fight that I would have liked to have, but unfortuantely we are not there. That fight didn't happen and probably will never happen now that he's on a very long contract with the UFC so that's not happening anymore."
Check out Francis Ngannou's comments below (starting at the 6:57 mark):