Jon Jones has been on the sidelines since February 2020, but if all
goes as planned, the former UFC light heavyweight champion will be
ready to return to action next year.
In an interview with Albuquerque, N.M.-based station
KRQE, Jones targeted two potential dates to make his
heavyweight debut. In the meantime, “Bones” will be an interested
observer when Francis Ngannou squares off against Ciryl Gane in a
title unification bout at UFC 270 on Jan. 22.
“I’m looking to fight somewhere in April, possibly Madison Square
Garden, or a total opposite date, possibly July at International
Fight Week,” Jones said. “Those are the two dates that I’m kind of
eyeing. I think it’ll depend on who wins in January between Francis
Ngannou and Ciryl Gane, and we’ll just take it from there.”
In the wake of his arrest for an alleged domestic violence
incident, Jones was banned from his longtime training home,
Jackson-Wink MMA at the behest of owner Mike Winkeljohn. He has
kept ties in Albuquerque with coaches like Greg Jackson and Brandon
Gibson while training at Jackson’s MMA Acoma, but he has also been
working out at Fight Ready in Arizona.
When asked about the potential of a reunion with his old team,
Jones took the high road, a departure from a since-deleted
social media rant about Winkeljohn last week.
“Winkeljohn and I have had a great relationship over the years,
we’ve done a lot of awesome things together, we’ve made a lot of
money together, brought a lot of championships to the city of
Albuquerque,” Jones said. “It’s been a wonderful journey. I do
believe everything kind of has its time. It’s been a good thing.
I’ll always root for Wink. I want him to do well, I want his
athletes to do well. But I think I’ve had my time with him. It’s
just time for new chapters.”
“I’m really excited with this new move to Arizona. I’m still
working with Greg Jackson and most of the coaches out here in New
Mexico. I’m just excited for new things.”
Jones has notably been working with former two-division UFC
champion Henry Cejudo at Fight Ready. Jones had high praise for
Cejudo, who announced his retirement from the sport following a
victory over Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 in May 2020.
“It’s amazing. Henry Cejudo is amazing,” Jones said. “He’s very
family-oriented. He loves martial arts with all of his heart, and
he’s a man of God, as well. We have that in common. It’s just a
really good thing. I really enjoy the way he’s taken me under his
wing and just shown me a different way of looking at the game. Not
just the martial arts game, but the game of life. We talk about
happiness and being real with emotions. His coaching is more than
just combat tactics. He really tries to make you the best man you
can be.
“It really feels like he’s a guy that I need to be around. I’m
excited to grow. I’m excited to be more honest with myself than
ever before and just elevate to a new place – a new place not only
as an athlete, but spiritually and mentally. I’m excited.”