LAS VEGAS — While he is considered by many to be the greatest MMA artist of all time on the planet, former UFC light heavyweight boxer Jon Jones has never had a training group like this.
According to Jones (MMA 26-1, UFC 20-1), he prepared for his yet-to-be-determined heavyweight debut, the first time in his entire career that he insisted on training.
At thursday's UFC Hall of Fame ceremony, Jones faced Alexander Gustafsson for the first time. Before that, Jones answered a series of questions from reporters — the first in months. Jones had noticeably grown in size, with a proud smile on his face as he spoke of his recent changes.
"Now I'm about 255 pounds," Jones told MMA Junkie and other reporters on the red carpet. "I feel good. My goal is to reach 270 pounds. My goal is to be the most technical, the best, the strongest of all the heavyweights. That's what I want. I want to take over in its entirety, and that's what I'm going to continue to work on. I'm patient and I know I still have months to work to do. If anyone is impressed with how I look today, I can't wait for them to see me back. I intend to do more. ”
"Before, I would start training about 10 weeks before the game. I will try to reduce my fat and improve my aerobic exercise and my skills. Now, for the first time in my career, I'm sticking to training. I believe my aerobic exercise is worth fighting now. When I enter the camp, it will rise to a higher level. I feel like I'm in better shape now than I've ever been before. I slept better, ate better, and drank less. I feel good. ”
Jones, 34, has not played since beating Dominic Reyes in February 2020. Since then, Jones has relinquished his title and turned his attention to heavyweight boxing — a relationship with UFC chairman Dana White that has been precarious and has been promoted.
To help handle the negotiations, Jones parted ways with longtime advisers and former managers Malki and Abe Kawa. He appointed Richard Schaefer, a businessman with a long history of boxing promotion and fighting games, as chief adviser. The move has paid off. Jones said his relationship with White has improved.
"That's fine," Jones said. "I think hiring Richard Schaefer was one of the best decisions I've ever made, rather than me attacking Dana on Twitter and venting my emotions. I'm just allowing Schaefer to think deeply about what's most important in any situation and talk to people who need to talk to them, rather than me talking back and forth with fans on Twitter. The relationship is very good. Schaefer really helped a lot. ”
When he returned, Jones wanted one of the biggest games possible, and now, by his estimation, it's UFC heavyweight champion Francis Nganu. The entire nannou could lose his title to interim champion Ciryl Gane and change the dynamics that Jones is eager to face against the former.
"There's no doubt that fighting for the title is what I want most. I want the most intense competition, and I think the championship game will be the most intense competition. If there's anyone bigger than Francis in the heavyweights and doesn't win the title, I'm going to fight for it. But I think Francis is a heavyweight star. He and I, he has titles. That's what I want.
"I'm excited about Ngannou and Gane. I think they present two completely different puzzles, but Francis is definitely the bigger star. If Francis loses, he will lose a lot of money. I don't care who wins the game, I just want the championship. ”
So when would Jones want to make his league debut?
Jones said: "I think it should be in the second quarter of 2022."
Once the official heavyweight pre-race publicity begins, Jones revealed that fans can expect more effort, not only at the gym, but also on the microphone. One area of improvement Jones hopes to master is the marketing aspect of money-driven campaigns.
Jones said, "Dana, he assured me he would give me a raise next time." "I'm really excited. I think it's going to be pay-per-view, so I'm going to have to work for the money I get. I'm going to sell this game. I guess that's something I wasn't good at in the past.
"You like guys like (Connor) McGregor, who always talks nonsense. He's very good at this. He's very good at this. He's very good at selling himself. I've always focused only on winning. I think when I become a heavyweight, I'll try to do more legally controversial things so that I have the potential to sell more pay-per-click shows. ”
