Although former UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones has a tough task ahead of him in the form of Ciryl Gane, “Bones” is looking forward to finally meeting ex-heavyweight king Stipe Miocic inside the Octagon.
Jones and Gane will compete for the vacant heavyweight belt during the UFC 285 headliner on March 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Bones has yet to fight at heavyweight since vacating his 205-pound strap in the summer of 2020. UFC 285 will also mark Jones’ first fight in over three years.
On the other end, Gane recently bounced back from his effort to dethrone then-heavyweight king Francis Ngannou in January 2022 by knocking out Tai Tuivasa in an electric clash in September.
Miocic, who many regard as the greatest UFC heavyweight of all time, took to Twitter after the bout was announced to claim the spot as the next title contender. And if Jones has his way, he’ll beat “Bon Gamin” and then battle Miocic in a legacy GOAT vs. GOAT fight. That’s what he said during a recent Twitter Spaces with Kanpai Pandas.
“I’ve got my sights on Stipe Miocic,” Jones said (h/t MMA Fighting). “I think it just means the most. There’s a lot of guys out there, but for me, personally, for my legacy, to defeat the greatest heavyweight of all-time, it just means the most to me.
“As far as how soon, hopefully I get out of this fight with no serious injuries, but I’d let to get [back] out there as soon as possible. My goal is anywhere from two to three fights depending on how it looks.”
Jones & UFC Reached a New 8-Fight Deal, Unsure if He’ll Complete All Bouts
Jones has been on the UFC roster for 15 years, and it sounds like he’ll finish his mixed martial arts career with the promotion. Jones said during the Twitter Spaces that he signed a new eight-fight deal with the UFC, which was the amount he had left originally before inking another deal. But, the contract is more lucrative.
“Oh yes, he sure did,” Jones said when asked if UFC president Dana White had increased his pay. “I had eight fights left on my contract, I just wasn’t happy with my percentages. We just bumped up the pay and pretty much picked up where we left off with my commitment to the UFC. Hopefully I can get through all eight fights, that’s a lot of fighting at 35 years old. We’ll see.”
Jones Said He’ll Look About the Same as He Did at Light Heavyweight
Although Bones has spent three years packing on the pounds to compete with the larger men north of light heavyweight, he said he’ll look about the same as he did when ruling 205 pounds.
“One of the hardest things was not being able to lose my shape while still trying to pack on 40 pounds,” Jones said. “I think when the fans see me, they’ll be surprised that I still look a lot like I used to — [although] my shoulders are a lot more broader, I freaking gained a whole bunch of ass, unfortunately — but just trying to keep that shape and doing it the right way.”
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Jon Jones Shares UFC Legacy Fight He Wants: ‘Means the Most’