The UFC heavyweight champion, Jon Jones, is perhaps the deadliest guy on the planet and one of the greatest fighters of all time, but he isn’t the biggest athlete in town. When “Bones” met Purdue basketball player Zach Edey in person, he appeared absolutely dwarfed.
Jones has an enormous body frame, both metaphorically and practically. He is 6’4″ tall and weighs more than 250 pounds. These measures would be considered the pinnacle of physical stature for many UFC fighters.
When it comes to UFC fighters and other sportsmen, we’ve seen some pretty amusing side-by-sides. The one that stands out the most is former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou confronting NBA icon Shaquille O’Neal. Ngannou did raise Shaq off the ground, but the NBA star appeared significantly larger than “Predator.”
.@Shaq you’re not so heavy as I thought 🤣🤣🤣 that’s probably why you could fly on the court pic.twitter.com/oUJmVpyYB1
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) April 17, 2020
On Saturday, a picture surfaced presenting Jones, who is 6’4″, meeting up with Purdue’s Edey, who is listed as 7’4″. You would think a one-foot gap wouldn’t appear that absurd but the shot of the two facing one another is rather amusing.
7’4″ Purdue basketball star Zach Edey vs. 6’4″ UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones 😳 pic.twitter.com/6XHOyBTiwk
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 15, 2023
Fans, however, reacted with amusement as well as in favor of Jon Jones when the gigantic 7’4″ Purdue basketball player looked to dwarf ‘Bones’:
“Damn who the hell is that dude? And I couldn’t tell that was Jon Jones at 1st, thought it was maybe Aljo lol.” a fan wrote. “Damn he makes bones look small” another fan joined in the amusement.
Damn who the hell is that dude? And I couldn’t tell that was Jon Jones at 1st, thought it was maybe Aljo lol
— RJ (@541klj9) July 15, 2023
Damn he makes bones look small
— chemdawg03 (@valdezedgar82) July 15, 2023
Multiple fans came in favor of Jones claiming if a fight were to happen, “Jon would eat him alive”.
Here are some of the fan’s reactions favoring Jones
I’d still bet Jon Jones to win! https://t.co/WvCXGJlTJ0
— givname (@__givname__) July 15, 2023
Jon would eat him alive https://t.co/ub5GosFwl3
— Coffee with cream (@HiiimRichie) July 15, 2023
Bones first round choke https://t.co/4z5mdoafXA
— Ryan.A (@Always_R_Ahrens) July 15, 2023
Jones would still kill him. https://t.co/O2t1wQkmBn
— DennisSoDeepp (@DennisSoDeepp) July 15, 2023
That being said, Edey is a sight to behold. He’s a 21-year-old center from Canada who is 7’4″ and is the tallest player in Big Ten Conference history.
Jon Jones will face Stipe Mioicic at UFC 295
Stipe Miocic, a former two-time undisputed heavyweight champion, is set to return to the Octagon in November, headlining UFC 295 from Madison Square Garden against Jon Jones, a former two-time light heavyweight champion.
Miocic says he’ll be between 245 and 250 lbs when the two battle at UFC 295 on November 11 at Madison Square Garden, fully prepared to handle Jones’ new weight after stepping up from the light heavyweight division.
“I’m not going to let him dictate what he wants to do,” stated Miocic on the podcast “Believe You Me” with Anthony Smith and Michael Bisping. When asked about Jones’ well-known threats, Miocic claimed the champ is extremely skilled at “off-the-wall stuff that works.” (h/t MMA Fighting)
Jones resurfaced from a three-year absence to defeat Ciryl Gane by first-round submission and won the vacant heavyweight title in March. It was a near-flawless performance that contributed to the legend of probably MMA’s greatest fighter.
It’s a huge task for the 40-year-old Miocic to accomplish, but he says he’s up for the challenge and believes his team will put up a game plan to dish “Bones” his first genuine defeat.