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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
MMA Junkie Staff

Video: Will Jon Jones’ promise of a big 2023 return to the UFC be fact or fiction?

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: Jon Jones says he’s on the cusp of a return, and he promises it’s going to be big.

We know it’ll be big, literally, given the former light heavyweight champion gave up his belt nearly three years ago to focus on a move to heavyweight. We still don’t have a date for his debut in the weight class – he most recently fought in February 2020 – and we still don’t know whom it will be against.

But Jones (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) has Henry Cejudo touting a presumed ascendancy up the heavyweight ladder, and the former two-division UFC champ and two-time Olympic gold medalist says Jones is going to be the 2023 Fighter of the Year when all is said and done.

Do we think Jones’ big claims finally will come to fruition or, given his recent outside-the-cage personal issues and issues with UFC management, will it be a matter of the proverbial boy who cried wolf?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Mike Bohn, Nolan King and Danny Segura answered those questions and more with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia. You can watch their discussion in the video above. And don’t miss this week’s full episode below.

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Monday LIVE on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel.

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