Viewpoint: Patiently Weighting

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Jon Jones must realize by now that he is never going to make everyone happy.

As he continues to excel at making even the best of competition at light heavyweight look pedestrian, the rumblings are growing louder: Jones needs to move up in weight to level the playing field.

In one of the most anticipated main events in recent memory, the 24-year-old champion put on a clinic against former training partner Rashad Evans at UFC 145 on Saturday in Atlanta. He threw elbows like jabs, masterfully controlled distance and defended every one of Evans’ takedowns. In what was likely the most emotionally charged environment of his career, Jones could have easily succumbed to butterflies and made a critical mistake. He never did. In fact, “Bones” seemed to grow stronger as the fight progressed.

In the fifth frame, Jones connected on 31 total strikes, successfully executed the fight’s only takedown and even pulled guard in the waning moments of the round. Evans, meanwhile, landed just three of his 26 attempted strikes in the bout’s final five minutes. As Jones became more confident, “Suga” appeared to become more defensive, wary of the array of elbows, kicks and punches that were coming his way. It had to be a humbling experience for a man who believed his inside knowledge of Jones and the Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts camp would give him an opportunity to “big brother” the champion.

“It was difficult,” Evans admitted in the post-fight press conference. “He was so long, and it was frustrating. Whenever he hit me with something, I couldn’t let him know how bad it hurt. He’s a talented kid, and he has gotten a lot better, like I thought he would. I have to give him respect. He’s a champion.”

Jones now owns four consecutive triumphs against former light heavyweight champions and five straight wins against Top 10 opponents overall. A date with Dan Henderson, a former Pride Fighting Championships and Strikeforce titleholder, now looms. A win over “Hendo” and his powerful right hand would only build on what has been a remarkable run of excellence.

“I feel great that I already have a mission,” Jones said. “I’m going to work extremely hard to better myself. Dan Henderson is awesome, and he has a large fan base. I’m sure the haters are going to come out right away. He has extreme knockout power, and I’m excited to conquer the challenge. My goal will be to finish Dan Henderson, with all due respect.”

Not everyone is as satisfied with the upcoming mission as Jones. The haters, as Jones might say, want him to move to heavyweight ASAP and pick on someone his own size. Of course, this point of view shows an utter disregard for the fact that the Endicott, N.Y., native has never struggled to make the 205-pound limit. As for his 84.5-inch reach, well, that is a genetic gift that not everyone understands how to use as well as Jones does. If simply being longer than your opponent guaranteed success, then Stefan Struve would have captured heavyweight gold long ago.

It is easy to look at Jones’ older brother, Arthur, a 6-foot-4, 315-pound defensive lineman for the Baltimore Ravens, and his younger brother, Chandler, a 6-foot-5, 265-pound defensive end who is expected to be taken in this week’s NFL draft, and say that the transition to heavyweight should come easily for “Bones.”

However, Jones is not large by UFC heavyweight standards. In the ballpark of 225 pounds before he cuts weight, the Jackson’s MMA representative would likely need a few years to add muscle and grow into his frame. While there is no doubt that Alistair Overeem’s testosterone levels have thrown the entire heavyweight division into a state of flux, there is no reason to rush Jones into matchups against the likes of Junior dos Santos, Frank Mir and Cain Velasquez. Those would be the types of fights Jones would be forced to take -- if you are a big enough star to share the NBA on TNT studio with Shaq, Kenny and Charles, then you do not get warm-up bouts.

“Jon Jones is a physical specimen,” UFC President Dana White told MMA Junkie. “The guy is huge at 205 pounds, but he needs to stay at 205. He can make 205. This is where he needs to stay. Once he cleans out a division and [expletive] starts getting a little old and stale, then maybe he makes that move to heavyweight.”

Right now, it really is not that stale. Was it not just a week ago that UFC commentator Mike Goldberg all but anointed Alexander Gustafsson as the second coming of Jones during his victory over Thiago Silva? While talented, the Swede is no Jones replica, but with another solid showing or two under his belt, he would certainly be an intriguing challenger.

Regardless of what you think about Henderson’s chances against Jones, the 41-year old has earned his shot. His victory over Mauricio Rua at UFC 139 was an instant classic, and the UFC needs to capitalize on the momentum of that bout before Henderson’s window of opportunity closes. At the very least, the power in Henderson’s right hand allows for the possibility of an upset.

After that, Jones’ future at light heavyweight gets considerably murkier, but that does not mean he should flee the division. On Saturday, White was not quite ready to pass the torch from Anderson Silva to Jones as the sport’s pound-for-pound best. Much of that respect comes from Silva’s extended dominance at 185 pounds.

“Anderson Silva has been in the UFC a long time, has never been beaten, has literally cleaned out an entire division. It’s tough to put anybody in that No. 1 spot as long as Anderson Silva is undefeated,” White said at the post-fight press conference.

The reign of “The Spider” at middleweight is nearing its sixth year; Jones has been on top at 205 pounds for a little more than a year. If Jones takes on all comers at light heavyweight for as long as Silva has, his legacy will be secure -- with or without a stint at heavyweight.

Unlike in boxing, where heavyweight fights appeal to the masses, 205-pound fighters have always seemed to hold marquee status in the UFC, with some of its most popular competitors -- Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Randy Couture -- occupying prominent spots in the division. Jones is already well on his way to surpassing the accomplishments of those legends.

Given his talent and determination, there is no question that Jones could be successful as a heavyweight. There just should not be any rush to get there. Prolonged dominance -- no matter where it occurs -- is never boring.