Jon Jones is back, and he’s here to stay.
That’s according to a recent interview with The MMA Underground, where the aspiring two-division champion guaranteed at least two more fights in the UFC before he decides to call it a career.
Jones, who recently announced his move to the heavyweight division, is excited about the new challenge but admits to feeling somewhat nervous about his next fight.
“I feel like I’m in a really good place,” Jones, who hasn’t fought in almost three years, said. “MMA feels fun to me again. Obviously, with being out for three years and in a new division, there’s a lot of questions that cause me to stay up long nights, but it keeps me sharp. It’s something that I feel like I didn’t have at light heavyweight towards the end. Towards the end it just felt like another day at the office. This doesn’t feel like another day at the office. This feels very different. The nerves, the anxiety – it’s all back. I do good when I’m under pressure.”
Jones’ immediate goal is to defeat Ciryl Gane and then defend his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic. After that, he plans to talk with the UFC to see what’s next but guarantees at least two more fights at heavyweight.
“My immediate goal is to beat Ciryl Gane and to beat Stipe Miocic,” he said. “After that, it’ll be conversations with the UFC to see what makes sense. But I am guaranteeing the fans at least two more fights out of me.”
Jones will take on former interim titleholder Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight championship at UFC 285, which takes place on March 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.