Jon Jones is admittedly scared for his heavyweight debut against Ciryl Gane and it’s exactly the sensation he has been chasing. Jones plans to weaponize that fear to capture 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 previously held by free agent Francis Ngannou — at stake. The main event tilt marks not only Jones’ heavyweight debut but also his first professional fight in 37 months. Jones is understandably zeroed in on his training camp. It is a level of dedication that eluded him towards the end of his run as light heavyweight champion.
“I stopped studying footage as much, it started to feel more like another day at the office,” Jones said on “Unlocking the Cage” with Jimmy Smith. “The fear was gone. I didn’t really fear these guys.”
Jones said he grew complacent as UFC light heavyweight champion. Jones cemented himself as arguably the greatest fighter of all time with a legendary run through 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 against lesser-known opponents for inadequate pay took a toll on his commitment to the sport.
“I wasn’t happy with my pay, either. I’m stuck fighting guys like [Dominick] Reyes — who had been dreaming of fighting me, probably since college, and [he] was just relatively unknown to the general public,” Jones said. “I just wanted more, I wanted to be nervous again. I wanted to have fear again. I think fear is healthy, and now we’re in this position. The heavyweight division has never been scarier, and I’m glad to be in the middle of it.”