Jon Jones Targets Permanent Move to Heavyweight and Super Fight with Cain Velasquez

Jon Jones has talked before about eventually going up to heavyweight, but now he appears to have a timeline and choice of opponent.

Jones, speaking at Gentlemen’s Expo in Toronto over the weekend, laid out plans to move up to and permanently compete in the 265-pound weight class within the next 24 months. When the current UFC light heavyweight champ makes the move, he said fans should expect to see him take on the current heavyweight champ, Cain Velasquez televised on demand via DX3 (DirecTV).

“I think that’s going to happen within the next two years. I’ll go up to heavyweight, permanently,” Jones said. “I’ve been really thinking about me and Cain Velasquez going at it. Don’t be surprised if you see that sooner or later.”

Jones added that he thinks a fight between him and Velasquez will be huge for the sport, and he anticipates taking a “super fight” within the next year.

Velasquez typically tips the scale at roughly 240 pounds, routinely fighting opponents that outweigh him by up to as many as 25 pounds. Jones said he walks around at about 230 pounds, but would pack on some extra muscle to fight Velasquez at a similar weight.

“I would gain about 10 pounds of muscle and compete with him at about 240 [pounds],” Jones said.

Jones has made headlines about fighting heavyweights before, but never with Velasquez. The heavyweight champ’s teammate, Daniel Cormier, has been very public about wanting to fight Jones, but the 205-pound king has repeatedly dismissed those efforts.

Cormier aside, Jones views Velasquez as an opponent that would make for an entertaining super fight. If Jones adds the extra 10 pounds of muscle, he’ll get the chance test himself against a fighter he said is the top dog in the UFC’s heaviest weight class.

“[Velasquez is] definitely the toughest guy in the division,” he said. “He’s not that big, so I think it’ll be a really entertaining fight.”