Demetrious Johnson says Jon Jones could have been another champ-champ if he really wanted: “I didn’t think he needed to put on that weight”

Demetrious Johnson is saying Jon Jones could have been another champ-champ if he had really wanted.

Jones vacated the light heavyweight belt in 2020 to transition to the heavyweight division.

Jon ‘Bones’ Jones (27-1 MMA) made his return to the Octagon after a 3-year absence when he got in the cage with Ciryl Gane (11-2 MMA) this past March. It was at UFC 285 where the heavyweight main event featured Jones vs Gane at the T-Mobile Arena facility in Paradise, Nevada. The result was a guillotine submission victory at 2:04 of round 1, making the 35-year-old Jones the new UFC heavyweight champion.

Demetrious Johnson (24-4 MMA) believes there was no necessity for Jones to take on additional weight and move to heavyweight.

Speaking to ‘The MMA Hour’, Johnson had this to say about Jones:

“Honestly, I didn’t think he needed to put on that weight to do what he just did. He could have done all that at 205. At the end of the day, it’s not like he’s going against a massive jiu-jitsu wrestler in the Heavyweight division, right? Jon Jones is long, he has the range advantage for most of his fights. Look at ‘DC’ (Daniel Cormier). ‘DC’s’ like 5-foot-9, 265 (pounds), and he was able to do everything he wants.”

Continuing, Demetrious Johnson praised Jon Jones saying (h/t MMAMania):

“I’m happy to see he’s back. I think he’s the G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time) because of all the things he’s been able to do and all that stuff he’s done outside … whatever. For him to come back and do that at Heavyweight, I think he didn’t have to go up to Heavyweight to do that. He could have done that at 205 and held both those belts. He could have been another champ-champ if he really wanted to. He looked great.”

Johnson, 36, is currently preparing for his One Championship bout with Adriano Moraes (20-4 MMA) on Friday, May 5th at the 1STBANK Center in Broomfield, Colorado.

As for Jones, he’s expected to make his first title defense at heavyweight sometime later this year against Stipe Miocic (20-4 MMA).

Do you agree with Johnsons’ analogy that Jones didn’t need to make the move to heavyweight?

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