Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on
your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. If former Ultimate Fighting Championship champ Jon Jones has
his choice, he will never go back down to 205 pounds. Jones spoke with
Bleacher Report on Thursday, discussing his future in the sport
including his change in weight classes. He told the outlet that he
was ready for a new challenge, since he believed he had achieved
everything he could at light heavyweight.
“I was just ready to challenge myself,” Jones said. “I was ready to
enter a new chapter in my career. At this point, I’m in this sport
for legacy and for the biggest-paying fights, and I just don’t
think that continuing on at light heavyweight was going to do much
for my legacy.”
Jones voluntarily surrendered his throne after a trio of title
defenses in 2019 and 2020. Jones dominated Anthony
Smith at UFC 235, but subsequent close fights with Thiago
Santos at UFC 239 and Dominick
Reyes at UFC 247 left questions about Jones’ ability to hoist
the division’s banner in the future. Instead of facing potential
rematches in foes like Glover
Teixeira, or rising talent like Jiri
Prochazka, the ex-champ decided to turn his sights to the
heavyweight division.
“The reason why I decided to vacate the light heavyweight belt and
not hang on to it that I knew my move to heavyweight was going to
take a really long time,” Jones explained. “I didn’t want to be one
of those athletes to slow down the division. I feel like I’ve held
on to the light heavyweight championship for so long – I’ve ruined
so many people’s dreams of being the light heavyweight champion,
and now it’s time for someone else to have it.”
Jones continued, “I thought it was the right thing to do for
everyone else. I could have done the selfish thing and held on to
it, and come up with a bunch of excuses and lied to the fans, and
said I was going to come back down to light heavyweight and [make]
all these guys wait. I didn’t want to do that. I have no intentions
of ever going back to light heavyweight.”
His division has transformed significantly in his absence, with
Jan
Blachowicz emerging as the new champ by toppling Dominick
Reyes in September. Rather than face the top contender –
Teixeira, who is on a spectacular five-fight win streak – he will
be meeting middleweight kingpin Israel
Adesanya at UFC 259 in May. Although there were many who
believed Adesanya’s move to 205 pounds would lure Jones back down,
Jones is excited at the prospect of the new category.
“I’ve been feeling so alive lately in my training,” Jones gushed.
“I’ve been feeling so motivated, so inspired. It’s just a great
feeling. I know this motivation and this liveliness I’ve been
feeling is going to translate into dominating victories.”
With a move to heavyweight comes a new slate of opponents, many of
them significantly larger and potentially more threatening than any
he faced previously at 205 pounds. Knockout machine Francis
Ngannou, as well as champion Stipe
Miocic, await Jones, and Jones is interested in fighting one or
both.
“I’ll be ready for either of them,” Jones stated. “Both fights are
extremely challenging. Stipe, he’s the greatest heavyweight of all
time. He has all the stats and records to prove that. And then
Francis is just a freak when it comes to knockout power, and he’s
improving constantly. Both fights are gigantic challenges, but
that’s what I’m here for in this stage of my career – to go big and
see what I’ve got.”
