Jon Jones (photo via UFC / YouTube)

By FCF Staff

Jon Jones will very likely give up size and strength to some of the men he faces at heavyweight. But, the coaches for the former light heavyweight champ believe Jones’ fight IQ will provide the work around.

The 33-year-old Jones decided to vacate the light heavyweight title earlier this year, as ‘Bones’ is planning to make a run at heavyweight.

Recently Jones’ longtime striking coach Brandon Gibson spoke with MMA Fighting, and while discussing the star’s move to heavyweight, he said this.

“Heavyweight’s a different animal, but Jon’s spent a lot of his career training with some of the best heavyweights in the world,” Gibson said. “I’ve seen Jon do hundreds of rounds with guys like [Alistair] Overeem and [Andrei] Arlovski and Travis Browne. We’ve had a plethora of great heavyweights come through Jackson’s, and Jon has been Jon Jones with all of them.

“Jon’s skill level is so high, his fight IQ is so high, that I don’t think somebody having a 20-pound advantage over Jon is going to make that much of a difference. He’s just such a skilled martial artist. I think the weight class intrigues Jon.”

And, another of Jones’ longtime coaches, Mike Winkeljohn, also had this to say about the fighter’s pending, heavyweight run.

“Jon has always done very well [against heavyweights],” Winkeljohn said. “He’s always had the ability to change up things and as far as fight IQ, Jon’s that guy. If he’s fighting a guy like Andrei Arlovski with a big overhand, he knows how to nullify it. If he’s fighting a guy like Alistair Overeem, who throws a big hook into a knee to the body, he knows how to avoid that.

“He’s very good at reading a fighter and knowing what the fighter’s going to do, sometimes before the fighter even knows himself.”

Jones (26-1) hasn’t fought since February, when he defeated Domick Reyes by unanimous decision.