Did Someone Tell Him That He Won’t be Able to Eye-Poke? Jon Jones Has Said in Two Years he Could Hang With the Best in the World…
Jon Jones is officially cleared to compete and is set to take on Swedish star Alexander Gustafsson in a rematch of arguably the greatest light-heavyweight title fight of all time. That’s set to go down on December 29, in the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in UFC 232’s main event, for the official 205lb title.
It’s yet another chance for ‘Bones’ to seek redemption after being stripped three times of the title. His most recent comeback ended in tears after he was stripped again following two failed drug tests. USADA hit him with a retrospective ban, and he’s now eligible to fight again.
However, the 31-year-old has his eye on another code. He’s interested in crossing over to the world of boxing and believes that with two years of training, he could hang with the best in the business. Watch the full interview below.
Confident
Jones is very confident about his abilities as a natural fighter. He took the UFC by storm as a young man, becoming a champion at the tender age of 23 – only two years after joining the promotion. To make it even more impressive, this was only 9 months after beginning MMA training. He told JW RAW with M&M:
“When I started doing MMA, I found myself in the UFC about nine months after my first practice so I’m aware that I have a mind for fighting,” said Jones. “I have a lot of faith and confidence in myself.”
Regardless of what you think about his doping test failures, there’s absolutely no doubt that he’s an elite fighter. He may have lost GOAT status – to Lord Artem – but he’s still a legend of MMA.
Jon Jones fights Daniel Cormier. Mandatory Credit: Gary Vasquez, USA TODAY Sports.
Belief
Jones fully believes that if he were to totally focus his training on boxing, he would be able to hang with the best in the world. It’s a bold claim, and realistically we’re never going to find out. He said:
“I believe that if I were to hire the right people to be around me, that’s maybe four boxing coaches. That’s what the guys at the highest levels [have]. Hire guys to come in here and we spend two years focusing on boxing and only boxing, I believe I’d be able to compete with the best in the world.”
Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Money
Since Conor McGregor’s 2017 clash with Floyd Mayweather, more and more UFC fighters have become interested in crossing codes. Khabib Nurmagamedov is hoping to draw ‘Money’ out of retirement to make the biggest payday of his life. Similarly Cody Garbrandt and Jimi Manuwa have shown interest in fights with Manny Pacquaio and Anthony Joshua respectively.
If Jones were ever to box it would be in the heavyweight division, with the likes of Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury potential opponents he could face. Is that something you’d like to see?
