Jon Jones says he’s currently in a “bulking phase,” and is busy putting on the pounds to go up against the big boys at heavyweight.
The former light heavyweight champion has some excellent highlight reel finishes throughout his decorated career, but he’s never really been known for his knockout power. This is why his striking coach’s recent claim becomes interesting.
According to Brandon Gibson, this bigger Jon Jones is already “more powerful” than a lot of the heavyweight knockout artists he’s coached through the years, including Alistair Overeem.
“You think of fighters going up in a weight class, and they always put on size and mass and power. You look your Conor from this 145 days, going up to lightweight, going up to welterweight. And that’s a 25-pound difference. Jon Jones, his weight is up there right now, and it’s much more than 25 pounds,” Gibson told Submission Radio. “So, he is hitting extremely hard and extremely accurate and technical, and fast.
“I’ve trained a lot of amazing heavyweights. I trained Arlovski and Overeem and Frank Mir and Travis Browne, and Jon Jones is more powerful, explosive, creative, dynamic than all of ‘em,” he said. “So, I can’t wait to see Jon make that walk at heavyweight. It’s gonna be something truly, truly special, and I’m humbled to be a part of it.”
Gibson also discussed the training videos Jones posted, saying people will be “really, really shocked” to see just how good he is at heavyweight.
