How Would Jon "Bones" Jones Do As a Heavyweight?

When recently asked about the possibility of moving up into the heavyweight division, Jon "Bones" Jones replied, "It's definitely something that I'm not counting out, especially being twenty-two.By the time I'm twenty-four, who knows what my body is going to do."

What could this mean for current competition in the heavyweight division?

Given that Jones has dominated every opponent he has ever faced (including Matt Hamill), "Bones" would prove to be a major problem for many in the division. This proves for an exciting future in the UFC since the heavyweight division has a few major prospects in the making, including Gabriel Gonzaga, Junior Dos Santos and Cain Velasquez.

How would Jones match up against these most dangerous of the up and coming fighters in the heavyweight division?

Jones vs. Gabriel Gonzaga

Gonzaga is thirty years old, who in a couple of years would still be a good match up against Jones. Gonzaga has a lot of talent, which he showed against an undefeated Shane Carwin despite losing to him, and his most notorious victory is a KO against "Cro Cop" by a devastating leg kick. With an 11-4 record, Gonzaga might just be the guy to test Jones's power and skills during his first fight in the heavyweight division. He's clever with submissions, and never having been submitted himself, he would be a good fighter to test Jones's wrestling skills and progressing stand up game.

Jones vs. Junior Dos Santos

Dos Santos is only twenty-five years old. With a record of 10-1, he has proven to be a dangerous competitor in the heavyweight division. The majority of his victories have ended in the first round, and he, too, has beaten "Cro Cop." He has sound stand up and ground games and, being a relatively light heavyweight, would at the very least offer an interesting fight against Jones.

Jones vs. Cain Velasquez

Velasquez is 8-0 and only twenty-seven years old. He is undefeated, and his most noteworthy victory came from his fight with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in which he impressively finished Nogueira in the first round. Velasquez has the most potential of all the prospects in the heavyweight division as he has yet to be truly tested. Most of Velasquez's victories have ended in the first round, and even though he has finished the fight in all but one bout, Velasquez holds wrestling experience as an arsenal in reserve, although this hasn't been thoroughly tested in the UFC...and Jones may just be the guy to test it.

I believe that if Jones did pack on some muscle and move up a division, he would perform very well as a heavyweight.

Nobody has been able to figure out his strategy and methodology, and I believe that's because he changes it to suit each of his opponents. Other than Anderson Silva, I would say that Jones offers the most ingenuity in real-time fight scenarios in the UFC.

As a result, many fighters -regardless of their being light heavyweights or heavyweights -will continue to find Jones an unstoppable puzzle.

It's time that he get some more high profile matches to further establish himself as a dominant fighter before considering moving up a weight class, and the Hamill disqualification should not count against his perceived rank whatsoever as Hamill could do nothing to prevent Jones from pummeling him.

Despite his official loss, Jones is still as dangerous as ever.