UFC legend Jon Jones has laid out his two-fight plan as he prepares to return to the octagon in March for a world heavyweight title effort against Ciryl Gane.
The legendary former light-heavyweight champion has been out of action since his last title defence against Dominick Reyes almost three years ago. And he has spent that time away from the cage getting himself in fighting shape for a run at heavyweight gold, which will now come against Gane, and not the reigning champion Francis Ngannou who has left the promotion.
Jones, however, is hopeful that the Gane fight will be the start of a new run in the UFC after lengthy spells in the sidelines as a result of his activities around the cage. He is known as one of the all-time greats inside the octagon, but has had a number of high-profile scandals including notable failed drug tests in the past.
"My immediate goal is to beat Ciryl Gane," Jones told the MMA Underground. "And I want to beat Stipe Miocic. After that it will just be conversations with the UFC to see what makes sense, but I'm guaranteeing the fans at least two more fights out of me. I just want you guys to know that there's levels to this game. I'm excited to show the world how great I can be."
Speaking about his feelings towards returning to the octagon after so long away, Jones said: "I'm excited, I'm grateful, I feel humble and appreciated by the company I work for and I feel that I'm in a really good place. MMA feels fun to me again, with being out for three years and coming back in a new division there's a lot of questions that cause me to stay up long nights.
Are you excited to see Jon Jones back in the octagon? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
"But that keeps me sharp which is something that I didn't have at light-heavyweight towards the end. It just felt like another day at the office. This doesn't feel like another day at the office, this feels very different, the nerves and the anxiety it's all back and I do good when I'm under pressure so I'm just really excited, really excited and grateful."
Jones had been eyeing up a meeting with Miocic initially as Ngannou engaged in contract negotiations with the UFC while recovering from a knee injury suffered last year. But that bout fell by the wayside, and he is now excited to first face Gane before eventually taking on the legendary two-time champion, who holds the record for the most title defences in heavyweight history.
