Getty Jon Jones and Conor McGregor
UFC superstar Jon Jones is just as excited as everyone else about seeing Conor McGregor return to action against Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 on January 23. The 33-year-old told Heavy he’s a big fan of watching McGregor do his thing and also gave his prediction for UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor 2.
“I think the same thing is going to happen, maybe even faster this time…,” Jones said. “I just don’t think he has the chin to stick out 25 minutes with McGregor.”
But maybe the most interesting information Jones provided was what he thought it would take to defeat McGregor. Jones has practically never tasted defeat inside the cage himself, so his insight is one-of-a-kind.
“You’ve got to be a special, special man to defeat Conor McGregor. At the end of the day, Dustin Poirier has been in a lot of wars. You can have all the skill in the world. I just don’t think he has the chin to stick out 25 minutes with McGregor,” Jones said.
McGregor’s only two losses in UFC fights were to undefeated lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov and welterweight superstar Nate Diaz.
Even Faster Than Their First Fight?
McGregor defeated Poirier via first-round knockout back in 2014 in a featherweight contest. That fight was over in less than two minutes.
Jones predicts the same result will happen in the rematch, but the longtime UFC pound-for-pound king backed off his prediction about it happening even faster in the rematch than the first time around.
“No disrespect to Dustin Poirier. Okay, maybe not faster, I know the first one was pretty fast…but Conor McGregor just has ‘it’. He has that ‘it factor’ in business and in his fights. Things come together well for him,” Jones said.
Jones respects Poirier as a fighter but believes McGregor is simply on another level.
Jones Admires McGregor’s ‘Rags to Riches’ Journey
As for Jones, the UFC superstar doesn’t have a fight lined up yet for 2021, but he admitted he’s excited about watching McGregor and Poirier kick off the UFC’s next year of pay-per-view cards.
“I’m a big fan of success, of people coming up and doing well. I’m a big fan of rags to riches stories. The fact that Conor was on welfare and now he’s Conor McGregor, you know? I’m a huge fan of that,” Jones said.
Not even Jones misses watching a McGregor fight, and Jones said the Irish superstar seems to him to be just as big as the entire sport of MMA all by himself.
“I’m very happy for Conor, and I love watching his fights. I don’t really miss a McGregor fight. He’s a spectacle, you know? In some ways, he’s just as big as the sport as a whole,” Jones said.
Jones said he would be pulling for McGregor at UFC 257.
“I’m pulling for him. I’m pulling for him to continue to win in life and business,” Jones said.
Jones Reps boohooMan Apparel
Like McGregor, Jones is also a successful businessman outside the sport.
One of the fighter’s most recent business ventures is being a brand ambassador for boohooMan.
“The clothing is incredibly comfortable, whether you are wanting to dress up for dinner or just heading to the gym or lounge around, they have comfortable and affordable clothes for every situation,” Jones said.
Jones also revealed to Heavy which superfight he prefers at heavyweight, what makes him “nervous” about next year, and even his thoughts about YouTubers in boxing.
Jones was doing media rounds to help promote boohooMan’s Activewear collection.
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