After three years away from the sport, Jon Jones is about to return at UFC 285 on March 4th towards Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight title. Heavyweight is a division Jones has talked about for practically a decade now, and in a number of quick weeks we’ll lastly see how he does a weight class up from the sunshine heavyweight division he dominated since 2011.
For these considering we’ll see the identical “Bones” that hardly edged out selections in his final two mild heavyweight title defenses, assume once more. Based on Jon, the legendary hungry and motivated Jones is again.
“I’m excited, I’m grateful. I really feel humble. I really feel appreciated by the corporate I work for. I really feel like I’m in a very good place. MMA feels enjoyable to me once more,” Jones stated in an interview with The MMA Underground. “Clearly with being out for 3 years and in a brand new division, there’s quite a lot of questions that triggered me to remain up a number of lengthy nights. However it retains me sharp, which is one thing I really feel like I didn’t have at mild heavyweight in direction of the tip.”
“In the direction of the tip it simply felt like one other day on the workplace. This doesn’t really feel like one other day on the workplace. This feels very totally different. The nerves and the nervousness, it’s all again. And I do good once I’m beneath strain. So I’m simply actually excited. Actually excited, and grateful.”
Jon additionally revealed that he’s been working laborious for this transfer up for a very long time. Not solely has he spent the previous three years making ready bodily for the transfer as much as heavyweight, he was particularly ready to fight in December.
“I felt my bodily measurement and energy was able to go about 4 months in the past,” he stated. “Dana says there was by no means a Stipe [Miocic] struggle on the road. There was, they simply couldn’t come to an settlement. I’ve been making an attempt to arrange for Francis [Ngnanou], I did an entire coaching camp making ready for Stipe, and now we acquired Ciryl Gane. I’ve been prepared for a very long time, I’ve been coaching continuous. Three years, twice a day, generally 3 times a day. And I’ve been ready for this second for a very very long time. Glad to have an opponent.”
When requested simply how huge he was for the time being, Jones demurred.
“I would like Ciryl to see me for the primary time and it to be a pleasant shock for him,” he stated.
Requested if his championship struggle being towards Ciryl Gane and never Francis Ngannou took one thing away from the occasion, Jones stated sure.
“It does,” he admitted. “I really feel like Francis is the extra intimidating of the 2. I really feel like simply so far as People go, I really feel like he’s extra recognized in America. Francis is that this huge, scary, intimidating man, the place Ciryl is comparatively unknown. And clearly Francis has the belt and taking it from him would have been good. So yeah, it’s a unique struggle…. Stylistically, it’s a unique struggle.”
Apparently sufficient, Jones stated the struggle he actually needed even above Ngannou was one with Stipe Miocic.
“I feel the struggle that meant essentially the most to me was combating Stipe Miocic,” Jones stated. “That’s the struggle that truly means essentially the most to me as a result of Stipe is the best heavyweight of all time. I’m not trying previous Ciryl Gane in any respect. I’m very honored to struggle Ciryl Gane and I knew it could be taking place finally. Inevitably. However yeah, that was the struggle I used to be actually bummed it didn’t occur.”
Whereas Jones stated he’d watched Ngannou vs. Gane in anticipation of a struggle towards Francis, he added he wished he had a bit extra time to arrange for a tough striker like Ciryl.
“Now I’m centered on Ciryl Gane fully and it’s sort of a short while for me, I want I had a bit extra time to arrange,” he stated. “However on the identical time, I imagine once I fought Ryan Bader, the UFC gave me six or seven weeks for ‘Shogun’ after that struggle. So this concept of making ready for a brand new opponent in six or seven weeks body, I’ve executed it earlier than. And I feel it’s greater than sufficient time. I might have preferred extra time, however it is a good period of time. So I really feel nice. I really feel nice.”
And don’t anticipate Jones to win the belt and journey off into the sundown.
“My instant aim is to beat Ciryl Gane and to beat Stipe Miocic,” he declared. “After that, it’ll be conversations with the UFC to see what is sensible. However I’m guaranteeing the followers at the least two extra fights out of me.”
