Jon Jones: ‘Bones’ deemed ‘not that good’ by former opponent after opening as an +180 underdog against UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou

Francis Ngannou vs Jon Jones: UFC news: Jon Jones can finally make his heavyweight debut in the UFC and go straight against the current champion Francis Ngannou. The oddsmakers have already billed Ngannou vs Jones as a legitimate bout, citing the champion as a -220 favourite over +180 underdog Jon Jones. It has been nearly three years since ‘Bones’ has fought in the UFC. For UFC News updates with InsideSport.IN

Ahead of his speculated return, not only the betting odds but one of Jones’ former opponents has also demeaned him. Anthony Smith, who lost unanimously to Jon Jones in 2019, cited the former light heavyweight champion as ‘beatable’.

In a chat with Morning Combat, Anthony Smith expressed his perception of Jon Jones as a fighter. While he acknowledged the former champion’s skill set, ‘Lion Heart’ also pinpointed some flaws.

He said, “Jon Jones is beatable, very beatable. He’s not that good. Not individually. If you take his individual skill sets and you take them away, each one of those things are not a problem. It’s when you put them together, and he puts it into the full package it’s the problem. His fight IQ is not crazy high. He’s well-coached and he does what he’s told, very, very well. And that’s a credit to him. I’m not saying it as a negative, I don’t think it’s a negative. He’s a dog for sure.”

Smith further broke down each of Jon Jones’ combat abilities. ‘Lion Heart’ claimed that Jones’ striking and Jiu-Jitsu is something that he can overpower with only wrestling being a plus point for Jon Jones.

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Anthony Smith added, “If Jon and I were to just box, I don’t think he’s the G.O.A.T. Like I think we have a very competitive striking match. If we’re just doing no-gi jiu-jitsu, like I don’t think Jon Jones beats me in a jiu-jitsu match. Wrestling, he probably wins that. But it’s not the individual skill set that he has, it’s the way he puts it together.”

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UFC news: Is Jon Jones still at his peak?

Jon ‘Bones’ Jones is undoubtedly one of the finest martial artists to have embraced the UFC cage. The only loss of his MMA career came after he illegally elbowed and left his opponent with a bloodied eye. Jon Jones hasn’t seen defeat since then. However, he seemingly underperformed in his last two outings against Thiago Santos and Dominick Reyes, respectively.

Jon Jones: ‘Bones’ deemed ‘not that good’ by former opponent after opening as an underdog against UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou

Jon Jones: ‘Bones’ deemed ‘not that good’ by former opponent after opening as an underdog against UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou

MMA fans also argue that Dominick Reyes did enough to get a win over ‘Bones’. Following the controversial win, Jon Jones has been out of action for a long period. While he is finally returning as a heavyweight, it will be interesting to see how he performs against Francis Ngannou or other contenders.

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