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Jon Jones is admittedly scared for his heavyweight debut towards Ciryl Gane and it is precisely the feeling he has been chasing. Jones plans to weaponize that worry to seize the UFC heavyweight championship at UFC 285.
Jones vs. Gane headlines the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, March 4 with the vacant UFC heavyweight championship — the title beforehand held by free agent Francis Ngannou — at stake. The principal occasion tilt marks not solely Jones’ heavyweight debut but additionally his first skilled combat in 37 months. Jones is understandably zeroed in on his coaching camp. It is a degree of dedication that eluded him in direction of the tip of his run as mild heavyweight champion.
“I finished learning footage as a lot, it began to really feel extra like one other day on the workplace,” Jones stated on “Unlocking the Cage” with Jimmy Smith. “The worry was gone. I did not actually worry these guys.”
Jones stated he grew complacent as UFC mild heavyweight champion. Jones cemented himself as arguably the best fighter of all time with a legendary run by the 205-pound division that included wins over Daniel Cormier, Glover Teixeira, Vitor Belfort, Rashad Evans, Lyoto Machida, Rampage Jackson and Shogun Rua. Defending his UFC title towards lesser-known opponents for insufficient pay took a toll on his dedication to the game.
“I wasn’t proud of my pay, both. I’m caught combating guys like [Dominick] Reyes — who had been dreaming of combating me, most likely since faculty, and [he] was simply comparatively unknown to most of the people,” Jones stated. “I simply needed extra, I needed to be nervous once more. I needed to have worry once more. I believe worry is wholesome, and now we’re on this place. The heavyweight division has by no means been scarier, and I’m glad to be in the course of it.”
