“Both fights are gigantic challenges, but that’s what I’m here for in this stage of my career: to go big and see what I’ve got.”
Jon Jones feels it’s his time to capture UFC heavyweight gold no matter who he goes up against in his 2021 heavyweight debut.
Jones, 33, is expected to fight the winner of the all-but-confirmed championship rematch between Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou and, while ‘Bones’ acknowledges that both fighters present ‘gigantic challenges’ for him, the former light heavyweight king feels he’s capable of beating either man.
“I’ll be ready for either of them,” Jones told Bleacher Report in a recent interview. “Both fights are extremely challenging. Stipe, he’s the greatest heavyweight of all time. He has all the stats and records to prove that. And then Francis is just a freak when it comes to his knockout power, and he’s improving constantly.
“Both fights are gigantic challenges, but that’s what I’m here for in this stage of my career: to go big and see what I’ve got.”
At 23-years-old Jones became the youngest champion in UFC history when he TKO’d Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua at UFC 128 to capture the light heavyweight title and, while that was undoubtedly the most defining moment of his career, the JacksonWink standout says winning the heavyweight belt could come a close second.
“It’ll feel amazing,” he said. “Somewhere along the line, getting that light heavyweight championship wrapped around my waist, the excitement and other emotions it should have evoked, kind of went away. It was just another day at the office. It was what we always do.
“But I haven’t won that heavyweight championship yet. To do that for my family, and do that for my team, and all the people that have invested in me over the years, it’ll be something new for all of us.”
Jones, who vacated his light heavyweight title earlier this year, is currently #2 in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings.