Photo | Jon Jones shows off new physique at 240 pounds

UFC legend Jon Jones has shown off his new physique as he seemingly prepares for a jump up to heavyweight.

While most of the focus surrounding “Bones” has been on his constant back and forth with Israel Adesanya over Twitter, many do seem to be forgetting that the former light heavyweight king is aiming to finally join the land of the giants in the next few months.

With so many exciting potential match-ups being touted, Jones has made it clear with his latest Instagram post that he is taking this process very seriously.

 

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There are plenty of reasons to get excited about this move from Jones, but for the time being, it does feel as if there’s still a chance he could stay at 205 pounds – either to tussle with “The Last Stylebender” or in an attempt to win back his belt from current champion Jan Blachowicz.

Either way, he’s still largely viewed as one of the leading contenders in the “greatest of all time” discussion, and in a recent interview, fellow nominee Demetrious Johnson actually endorsed him for the role.

“Jon Jones has gotta be number for me,” Johnson told MMA Junkie (via APMMA.net). “His title reign, I’ve seen him train before, how he’s beaten so many great light heavyweights before. And then after that it starts to get cloudy, I’m not gonna lie. I think there are athletes that are on their way, like if Khabib would keep on fighting and do five or six or seven or eight more fights, then I’ll definitely throw him in.

“For me, I like to see longevity,” Johnson added. “I like to see dominance. Longevity is a big thing. When you look at Jon Jones, I think he’s 15 world title fights? That’s a lot of work of staying motivated, staying on top to keep on winning. I think Izzy is on his way. If he goes up to light heavyweight and beats the champion there, and he goes up to fight Jon Jones, he’s definitely on his way.

“Is it a popularity contest? What exactly puts you in that discussion of greatest of all time? For me, it’s longevity, how many championships have you done, a little bit of everything,” Johnson concluded. “For me, that’s why I put Gegard in there [too] because when I watch him, I’m like, look at his hands, look at his grappling, look at his submissions. He can do it all.

“Jon Jones, look at his grappling, look at his hands, look at his submissions, look at how long he’s been a champion.”