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UFC superstar Jon Jones revealed to Heavy in an exclusive interview in December 2020 exactly what was driving him toward becoming the UFC’s next heavyweight champion. Jones, 33, said his faith in a higher power was the primary force behind him wanting to move up to the heavyweight ranks in 2021.
“It’s like, as a Christian, if you truly have faith in God and truly have faith in his ability that he’s blessing you with the talents he’s bestowed upon your life, you shouldn’t doubt him. You shouldn’t doubt yourself. You have to truly believe that no weapon formed against you shall prosper, and it’s an insult not to go for the highest peak on the mountain,” Jones said.
For Jones, the top of that mountain is becoming the UFC’s heavyweight champion. That’s about the only way up from where Jones has been in the UFC after being the top fighter in the light heavyweight division for over a decade.
Presumably, Jones will have the opportunity to ascend the heavyweight mountain this summer.
White has repeatedly told the media Jones will get the next crack at the winner of UFC 260.
On that upcoming UFC pay-per-view card, UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic is set to defend his title against Francis Ngannou.
On Saturday, we’ll find out who’s The Baddest Man on the Planet 🌎 #UFC260
UFC 260: Miocic vs. Ngannou 2 takes place March 27 at UFC APEX in Las Vegas.
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Will Jones Fight Winner of UFC 260?
Jones said back in December that he wasn’t quite so sure he wanted to jump right up to facing the top heavyweight in his first fight in the division.
“I go back and forth,” Jones said.
“Sometimes I feel like I need to build myself up as a heavyweight and see how I can compete with all these other guys. And other times I’m just like ‘You know, Jon, the fast lane is your lane. The tough fights. The world championship fights. The scariest guys in the world. That’s your comfort zone, Jon. Why not challenge yourself to the highest level if that’s the type of person you have always been?'” Jones said.
Back then, Jones was going back and forth in his own mind about what his plans would be after UFC 260.
“I feel like the humble side of me tells me, ‘Jon, take a warm-up fight, let’s build yourself appropriately, you’re only 33. What’s the rush?’ And then there’s the side of me that’s chasing greatness, the side that believes that I have the ability to be part of greatness in this world. That side of me makes me feel more obligated to just go right for the championship immediately,” said Jones.
Ten years ago today, Jon Jones got his first taste of UFC gold by dominating Shogun Rua at UFC 128 🏆
On that night, Bones became the youngest champion in UFC history (23 years, 242 days old), a record that still stands a decade later.
While White has made his plans clear about the winner of UFC 260 this weekend, Jones has expressed in the past that he would need to come to some kind of financial agreement for the challenge.
Moreover, Jones recently suggested via social media there was “no rush” to him going for gold in the heavyweight ranks and that he hopes “the company will see more value” in the fight.
The current champion is 38, I’m only 33, Mark my words eventually I will have that belt around my waist. There’s no rush. I’ll just keep building my body, I’ll focus on doing all the right things outside of the octagon, and hopefully one day the company will see more value in me.
Jones has long been one of the most recognizable faces in combat sports, but the 33-year-old’s purse size for fight night pales in comparison to world champion boxers like Saul “Canelo” Alvarez or Manny Pacquiao.
So Jones moving up to face the winner of UFC 260 isn’t quite a done deal yet.
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Jones on ‘More Intimidating’ Heavyweight Threats
Regardless, Jones does believe his title shot at heavyweight is on the way.
Whenever that goes down, Jones admitted to Heavy that the bigger and stronger fighters in the heavyweight ranks were going to get him hyped for the challenge.
“These heavyweights are way more intimidating than the light heavyweights,” Jones said.
For someone as successful as Jones, it seems that kind of energy is a good thing.
“I feel like when my back is against the wall the best version of myself presents myself. Whether it was the second DC fight or the second Alexander Gustafsson fight or even the first Alexander Gustafsson fight…when my back is against the wall, a heightened version of myself comes out,” Jones said.
So no matter who wins UFC 260 this weekend in Las Vegas, or when Jones finally challenges for heavyweight gold, Jones will be stepping out of his 205-pound comfort zone someday soon for the biggest fight of his life.
“When I have that feeling, I train hard and with a different level of focus, drive and determination. It just lives with me…Good fights come out of me, usually my best performances, so I’m excited to be nervous about these guys. Because they’re going to drive me into an obsession, to hard work, and a heightened level of faith.”
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UFC Superstar Jon Jones Shares Motive: ‘It’s An Insult’