“He was out for a long time, but he’s Jon Jones, you know what I mean? Don’t forget that he’s Jon Jones.”
Jon Jones might have been out of action for a while, but let’s not forget that he is Jon Jones, arguably the greatest MMA fighter of all time and the most dominant champion in UFC history.
Those were the sentiments of Georges St-Pierre, who thinks ‘Bones’ will dominate when he returns to the Octagon at heavyweight in 2023.
St-Pierre, an all-time great himself, thinks Jones will be successful at heavyweight because of how big he has gotten during his UFC hiatus, recounting his unforgettable meeting with the former light heavyweight champ at the 2020 UFC Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Las Vegas.
“I’ve seen it on the red carpet when I got inducted into the [UFC] Hall of Fame. I took a picture and I put my arm around him, I was like, ‘Man, he’s solid like a rock.’ He’s huge,” St-Pierre told MMA Fighting during a press conference last month. “Jon Jones, he’s solid like a rock, he looked huge.”
“And it looked like he put the weight at the right place,” he added. “I can’t wait. I’m a fan of Jon Jones, I like to see him fight. I can’t wait to see him come back. A lot of people are like, ‘Yeah, he was out for a long time.’ He was out for a long time, but he’s Jon Jones, you know what I mean? Don’t forget that he’s Jon Jones. He’s arguably the best fighter of all-time too. He can make a comeback and I think he’s going to be successful when he does.”
Jones has been tipped to return to MMA at UFC 285 on March 5, with the pound-for-pound great opening as a betting favorite over perennial contender and potential opponent Curtis Blaydes in his heavyweight debut. He last fought at UFC 247 where he defeated Dominick Reyes to retain his light heavyweight title, later relinquishing it following a dispute with the UFC over fighter pay.