Former 205-pound divisional kingpin Jon Jones has shared a timeline on when fans might expect to see him back in the cage.
The former champion believes he’s closing in on possible dates for the fight, and even who the opponent might be. It’s no mystery that Jon Jones is eying the winner of the heavyweight title unification match between Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane. It’s been nearly two years since he has fought in the UFC. In 2020, Jones took home a unanimous decision victory against Dominick Reyes.
Jon Jones Targeting April Or July Return & Talks New Team
With Jones predicting he could return as soon as April, he spoke with KROQ and discussed his future endeavors.
“I’m looking to fight somewhere in April, possibly Madison Square Garden, or a total opposite date, possibly July at International Fight Week,” he told Albuqeuerque, N.M., TV station KRQE. “Those are the two dates that I’m kind of eying. I think it’ll depend on who wins in January between Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane, and we’ll just take it from there.” Jones explained.
Failed negotiations with the UFC have left “Bones” without a dance partner. However, he recently linked up with former double champion Henry Cejudo and the two seemed to kick it off. In fact, Jon Jones spent some time there training and has now joined the Fight Ready MMA team. Of course, this comes off the heels of being removed from his original home gym Jackson-Wink a few months back.
Fight Ready MMA is located in Arizona and Jones is confident that he will be able to divide his training from New Mexico to Arizona effectively.
“As far as fighting, I feel like I’m in tremendous shape,” he said. “I’m excited to still be representing Albuquerque, New Mexico. I just recently joined with a team called Fight Ready out of Arizona. So I’ll be representing both teams moving forward.”
“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.
While “Bones” has yet to make his return, the former champion has vehemently expressed his need to bulk up and possibly even reach weights of around 270 lbs. Certainly once UFC 270 concludes in Jan. things will get very interesting in the heavyweight division.
What do you make of Jon Jones linking up with Henry Cejudo?
