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ASK THE TORCH: Amadi answers reader questions on Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones, and Jones as a heavyweight
Jan 10, 2013 - 11:00:39 AM ASK THE TORCH: Amadi answers reader questions on Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones, and Jones as a heavyweight

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By: Jason Amadi, MMATorch Columnist

A Reader Writes: Daniel Cormier would obviously be the best wrestler that Jon Jones would have ever fought if the fight were to happen, and he seems to have power in his hands at heavyweight. I would assume that would translate even better at light heavyweight. Do you think he would be able to get inside and pose a real threat to Jon Jones if a fight were to happen?

A: As far as punching power goes, I think people might be making a bit too much out of the Antonio Silva knockout.  Sure, Daniel Cormier put away five of his first six opponents with strikes, but because those guys weren't on par with Cormier in terms of athleticism (and certainly not on par with a guy like Jon Jones), those fights alone aren't enough to convince me of his power.

Cormier wasn't able to stop Devin Cole, he wasn't able to stop a hobbled Jeff Monson in a three round kickboxing match, and he wasn't able to stop Josh Barnett. Looking at his overall body of work, I think he's shown good striking technique, good instincts, but average power.

Should Cormier and Jones ever meet, the wrestling advantage goes to Cormier for sure. He could put Jon Jones on his back for sure and the chances of Jones being able to return the favor are probably slim.

The fight would more than likely come down to range. Jones would need to use good footwork and an effective jab to keep him Cormier from grabbing a hold of him or setting up an effective takedown. Because of the threat of the takedown, Jones likely wouldn't be nearly as liberal with his use of kicks, so Cormier would be able to press forward much more than Jones' past opponents. He'd need to look for opportunities to grab a hold of Jones, drag him to the mat, and kip him there.

I'd love to see this fight put together sooner rather than later.

Daniel writes: Jon Jones is still in the early stages of development as a mixed martial artist. It is expected that he will move up to the HW division sometime in 2013. How do you see him stacking up against stronger, more dangerous guys like JDS?

A: First of all, I don't know that Jon Jones is "still in the early stages" of his development as a fighter. In this culture we often fetishize youth, but in combat sports, age is hardly as important as mileage. Just because a fighter is young doesn't necessarily mean he's going to continue to see exponential growth year after year. In fact, it doesn't even mean that he's necessarily going to have a longer career than the average fighter.

Junior dos Santos is only three years older than Jones, he's the heavier fighter, he's not giving up as much in reach as a lot of Jones' other opponents and has significantly more punching power than anyone he's ever faced. JDS is the most devastating puncher in the sport; when he starts throwing hands, guys go down. He also has exhibited some of the takedown defense in the sport.

Until he competes in the weight class, it's impossible to tell how Jon Jones will compete against guys like that. He wouldn't really have a big speed advantage against a guy like dos Santos, he wouldn't have the striking advantage against a guy like Alistair Overeem, he wouldn't have a wrestling advantage against a guy like Cain Velasquez and it isn't as if he'd have a definitive power advantage over any of them.

The light heavyweight division generally has better athletes with more technique, but the heavyweight division has the heavier hitters for certain.

I don't mean to suggest that some middle of the road heavyweight is going to waste Jon Jones just because they hit hard, but at the elite level Jones doesn't have the kind of dynamic power that the top guys are wielding. He'd likely win more than he'd lose, but I feel like the top guys in the division might be too much for him.

Jacob writes: Here's a question for you...who wins and how? Right now, heavyweight scrap, Skyscraper Struve or Bones Jones. I say Struve has all the tools to break Jones' bones! And with all the cries for a super fight lately, what more could you ask for?

A: This is a fight where every physical advantage Jon Jones carries with him into the Octagon goes away. He's isn't taller than Stefan Struve, he isn't stronger than Stefan Struve, and he doesn't have a reach advantage against Stefan Struve.

He's faster and a better wrestler, but he doesn't hit as hard as Struve either. In fact, I think Struve could potentially tap him from the bottom as well given Struve's long legs, submission ability, and Jones' susceptibility to armlocks.

I'd be really interested in that fight. It would definitely make people confront some of their feelings about Jones competing at 205. He has a lot in common with the tallest heavyweight in UFC history and could potentially lose to a guy most would consider an inferior fighter because his physical advantages would be negated.

I'd favor Jon Jones to win because he's just awesome, but to be honest, I'm not exactly sure how he'd actually go about beating him.

Feel free to follow me on Twitter @JasonAmadi and direct your "Ask the Torch" questions to askmmatorch@gmail.com