Jon Jones has been posting pictures and videos of his new physique on social media, which many attribute to improved dedication. Current champion Daniel Cormier is one person that feels that the “new & improved” Jon Jones physique will be a hindrance to his MMA skills, not an improvement.
Cormier was a guest on a recent episode of The MMA Hour and had this to say about Jones’ new hobby:
“Now he’s gotten bigger,” Cormier said. “For me as a competitor, I thought, ‘Wow. You start messing with the recipe — the recipe that’s actually really, really good — maybe this opens up the door for some of his competitors.”
I’m sure DC’s hoping to be the first competitor to test out that theory. He went on to explain exactly why it’ll negatively affect Jon.
“Maybe he feels that by getting stronger, it’s going to make him a better fighter,” Cormier said. “The reality is, when I saw him getting so bulky, as a competitor, I thought, ‘Wow, this isn’t bad for me.’ This isn’t bad for me as a competitor, because the Jon Jones that was kind of skinny and maybe wasn’t the bulkiest guy, it all worked, Helwani. It all worked. His body, the way his body was, it worked. It allowed him for range; it allowed him for optimal speed. It allowed him for quickness and agility.
“Looking at all the extra bulk, to me I was like, ‘Well, maybe this will slow him down. Maybe he won’t be the fastest guy. Maybe this guy is messing with what was given to him.’ In reality, what has been given to him is perfect.”
Cormier’s psycho analysis of Jon Jones continued and this time he tied in Jones’ history with drugs.
“Jon said before he had some issues with alcohol and drugs,” Cormier said. “You have to replace that stuff with something and it seems as though his addiction is now weightlifting. And it’s not bad. You replace it with something else. Something that can help you.”
Obviously DC has a bias opinion but he may be on to something. Jones’ athleticism was based heavily on being long and sleek. It afforded him awkward angles and fast-twitch striking. By adding muscle he may have gotten stronger but unless he focuses heavily on flexibility some of the quickness we’re used to will deteriorate.
There’s also the affects it could have on stamina. Athletes with higher muscle density (I.e. LeBron James) tend to cramp more often and their muscles accumulate more lactic acids during competition.
We won’t know if Jon Jones falls victim to these obstacles until he steps back into the octagon. Hopefully, it’s against Daniel Cormier at UFC 198 or UFC 200.