UFC heavyweight champion, Jon Jones, has been making rounds across social media in recent times. This was not because of his performance inside the octagon or his controversies outside the cage. ‘Bones’ has been the talk of the MMA town in recent times because of the shape he was seen in during some recent training videos. And a side-to-side comparison between him and light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira made quite a buzz on X (Twitter).

Jon Jones throughout his career had a relatively skinny physique when he was fighting in the light-heavyweight division. This is why MMA fans were shocked to see him look big. What made fans freak out more about the pictures was the fact that both fighters are 36 years old. While Pereira still looked young and in terrific shape, Jones looked like he had aged quite a bit after his injury.

Jon Jones, when he made his debut in the heavyweight division, did look bigger but still in shape. However, his recent physique shows him out of shape and still packing the heavyweight pounds. This could be due to the lack of training because of the injury. Last year, he suffered a torn pectoral tendon. Unfortunately, fans didn’t really care about it as some of them took the chance to take a dig at the UFC heavyweight champion. What did they say?

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Fans predict how Jones vs. Pereira will go

Of course, when a post comparing two fighters of Jones and Pereira’s statures pops up, fans are bound to create some fantasy matchup predictions. And that’s exactly what fans did.

However, fight fans know that Jon Jones is not to be taken lightly. After all, his 27-1 MMA record is almost spotless. He fought some of the best including the likes of Daniel Cormier, Ciryl Gane, Glover Teixeira, and Chael Sonnen. In fact, ‘Bones’ moved to the heavyweight division because of a lack of competition in the light heavyweight division.

As per his own admission, “I stopped studying footage as much, it started to feel more like another day at the of.fice.” He did not fear his opponents at light heavyweight and grew complacent. But he wanted to achieve more in the sport and the heavyweight division was the key to this.

After a serious pectoral injury, it is said that the fighter won’t return until mid-2024. Even then, his going against Alex Pereira might not happen as both are champions and will have to face other fighters from their weight class to keep their divisions going. Further, the heavyweight division has Tom Aspinall as the interim champion and the Stipe Miocic fight is also something fans want to see. So the heavyweight champion has potential future opponents lined up.

Additionally, some social media users referenced his troubled past. Back in 2016, Jon Jones opened up about his substance addiction. “I was a drug addict,” he said.

“One thing people don’t realize is that you can be a drug addict even if you are a stoner. If you are waking up every day and smoking, smoking before you eat, smoking before you train, smoke before you sleep, smoking before you watch a movie, smoking before your study session, you are an addict. It doesn’t have to be a hard drug to be an addict,” he stated. Further, during UFC 182 in early 2015, Jones failed a c*caine test.

One fan boldly claimed that the current version of Pereira would knock out a prime Jon Jones.

It seems like Jon Jones will take some time to get back into the groove; especially after a tough injury. He still looks forward to facing Miocic in the Octagon.

Do you agree with what most of the fans are saying about the heavyweight champion? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

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