Published 02/21/2023, 11:10 AM EST
As we inch closer to UFC 285 and the imminent return of Jon Jones, the former light heavyweight champ has now shed some light on his preparations for the fight against Ciryl Gane. Notably, Jones is returning to the cage after a three-year-long hiatus and has the chance to claim the vacant heavyweight throne once held by Francis Ngannou. Despite this fight taking place at Heavyweight, an unknown landscape for Jones, the 35-year-old feels extremely confident. Jones’ impeccable skills have him oozing out self-belief, which was displayed in a recent interview. While talking during his appearance at ‘Unlocking the Cage with Jimmy Smith’, he promised a much more explosive and powerful performance against Gane, who interestingly has also held the interim gold in the division.
But despite this show of confidence, fans clearly do not seem too much impressed with Jones. Online discussions have been rampant with fans thrashing the former champ, more so after this interview.
Jon Jones promises a much-improved performance at heavyweight
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During the course of his conversation, ‘Bones’ emphasized on his strict preparations heading into the fight. He claimed that despite the long layoff, he believes to be still ahead of the game. As per the 35-year-old, his preparations for his heavyweight debut involved a lifestyle that reflected the martial arts way of life.
“Man, it was awesome. I just stayed driven, I stayed dedicated, I kept the number one thing, the number one thing. I created a martial arts program, I was held accountable by a strong group of men, and I just lived the martial way. I lived the lifestyle.”, explained Jones.
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He also exuded faith in his abilities as a fighter and expressed how he believed that the break has helped him evolve into a better fighter,
“I feel great. I don’t feel that MMA has out-evolved me in any way. I feel like my skills are up to date. I’ve evolved and we’re just going to see what happens.”, stated Jones.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bony (@jonnybones)
But his statement regarding the upcoming fight is what took fans by surprise. Despite the fact that he is not known for knocking out opponents, or trading strikes in the boxing range, Jones divulged that he might end up doing exactly that against Gane.
“I have power in my hands now that I believe in. I’m not afraid to hop right in that pocket and box with anyone. My takedowns come with a lot more explosiveness. My guard passes, all of it, my sweeps. I just feel more explosive and more powerful. It’s really exciting.” He revealed.
Although his bigger physique and improved strength might make his hands more lethal, there is no denying that every heavyweight comes with that specific attribute as well. And MMA fans clearly understand that, which could be the main reason for their reactions to Jones’s statement.
Fans react to Jones’ claims of trading strikes with anyone.
A majority of the comments ridiculed the former champ for his belief that he could outbox Gane. They questioned his claims of sweeping and guard passing as something not too prevalent in the heavier weight classes, doubting if he could even pull it off.
Quite a few comments expressed doubts about him showing any improvement in his next outing.
Let us take a look at a few of the reactions that stood out.
“I don’t believe him. He hasn’t fought in 3 years, is heavier now, and older.”
“You mean, you don’t believe the guy coming from 3-year hiatus that looked unconvincing in his last two outings, is going to be impressive moving up a weight class against an elite HW? If so, I am completely with you.”
“Definitely not what we’ve seen in training. JJ looks slow and cumbersome.”
“He’s not hopping in the pocket with anyone lol.”
A couple of elaborate comments even wondered how his grappling would play out at Heavyweight.
“Guard Passes and sweeps? In HW MMA? Maybe back in Pride when HW’s had more pep in their step but other than maybe Tom Aspinall no one at 265 is sweeping or guard passing.”
“Who’s he training with? Which heavyweights is he hopping in the pocket with? Who’s guard is he passing? Jones has always had trouble with guys his size or close to his size. He’s 15 years into his MMA career and hasn’t finished a fight while pissing clean since April 27, 2013. when he beat Chael Sonnen.”
Someone also claimed that he’d be gassed by the third round.
“He’s going to be sucking air by the third.”
And of course, there were the usual ‘juice ‘jokes.
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“I wonder what juice is he taking if he indeed shows all of that.”
Another fan even had a wonderful idea of Jones’ long-time rival Daniel Cormier taking his interview when he loses the fight.
“I hope Jones gets KO’d and DC gets the octagon interview while he’s still out of it.”
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It’s no surprise that Jon Jones is being subjected to hate from a section of the MMA community. The former champ has always been a controversial figure owing to circumstances outside the octagon. But bashing him for his belief in himself ahead of arguably the biggest fight of his career could be pure blind hate from the fans. And considering that he has always been able to shut down critics with his performances, we can definitely expect the same from him yet again.
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