In order to be the best, you have to beat the best.
If you’re UFC veteran Mike Ciesnolevicz (19-4), the best is current UFC light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones.
“If Jon Jones is the best guy right now, then that’s who I want to fight,” Ciesnolevicz told Bleacher Report.
“Everyone wants to be the best and, if you’re telling me he is the best, then that’s the guy I want to compete against.”
The only challenge for Ciesnolevicz is getting that opportunity.
As we know, these opportunities come few and far between.
For Ciesnolevicz, the hardest part isn’t necessarily getting in the Octagon with the youngest champion in UFC history, but the long journey back to the UFC.
“The hard part isn’t fighting Jon Jones at all. The hardest part is climbing back up the ladder,” said Ciesnolevicz. “In order to get to the top, I’d have to beat the 20 guys in front of me.”
“If I got in the Octagon with Jones, I would have nothing to lose. Everyone would expect me to get massacred. I have absolutely no fear of Jon Jones. He is a human like anyone else,” said Ciesnolevicz. “He can be beaten.”
Now four months post-surgery, Ciesnolevicz will begin his road to recovery in hopes of getting back to the premier stage of MMA.
It’s likely we could see “Mike C” squaring off as soon as the end of June into July if all goes as planned.
“I will be back competing by mid-summer and hope to fight two or three times by the end of the year,” said Ciesnolevicz. “I’m finally feeling healthy for the first time in a year.”
“Right now, I’m just focusing on me and getting healthy.”
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