UFC legend Jon Jones has been backed to make a statement in his heavyweight debut after three years away from the cage.
Jones, 33, makes his long-awaited return at UFC 285 on March 4 as he faces Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight title following Francis Ngannou's decision to vacate the belt and leave the promotion. A fight between Jones and Ngannou was being worked on for months, but Ngannou was unable to come to terms with the UFC and leaft the promotion after a seven-year stint.
In his last few fights at light-heavyweight, Jones didn't look his usual dominant self as he was taken the distance by Dominick Reyes and Thiago Santos. Many fans fear that 'Bones' has declined over the years, having previously outclassed the best fighters in his division for almost a decade.
However, former UFC lightweight Paul Felder thinks Jones will have renewed impetus in his move to heavyweight, telling 'The Fighter vs. The Writer': "I think he’ll be looking to make a statement when he does comeback. Say what you want about the man and his personal drama and all that kind of stuff but, he’s one of the greatest fighters - if not the greatest fighter - ever.
"I don’t want to say he got lazy towards the end of his light-heavyweight career, but he had beaten everybody. I think he was getting a little lackadaisical in there. When he makes his return at heavyweight, I think they’ll be a little bit more, 'I’m not f****** around here, this isn’t my 12th title defence, I need to go out there and get the job done'."
Jones is widely considered as one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time. He holds several UFC records, such as being the youngest champion in promotional history and the most wins in title fights. Felder thinks Jones may even find competing at heavyweight easier than his previous division due to the speed of his opponents.
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"I think as long as he uses what makes Jon Jones the superstar and the champion that he was — his fight IQ and figuring guys out and how to approach them — I think as long as he can do that, I think [heavyweight] might even be a little bit easier,” Felder said. "At-light heavyweight, guys are a little bit faster, they’re not quite as big.
"If he gets these big lumbering guys and makes them miss, makes them make mistakes and uses his footwork, uses his angles, uses his takedowns, I mean he’s so good everywhere. He’s got great boxing, great elbows from distance. I think those are the things that he’s got to do."
