Former foe Rashad Evans details how "getting out of the box of Albuquerque" will help Jon Jones
Rashad Evans recently discussed Jon Jones' return to the UFC and said that training in a new environment is good for 'Bones'.
Evans pointed out that Jones has been inactive for a while now. Hence, taking on a contender upon his return, who has been active, might not be a good idea for the former light heavyweight king.
Rather, 'Sugar' insisted, 'Bones' should fight Stipe Miocic, who himself has been out of action for over a year now. Talking to Karyn Bryant on ESPN, here's what Evans said:
"Because I'm a fan of Jon Jones, I wanna see Jon Jones coming here against somebody who has been almost not as active as he. I mean, Stipe would be a great fight for him to come into. I think he can't go in there with somebody, I mean he can, bu I would rather see him go in there against somebody who has been not as active as he is. If you go in there with a guy like Romanov and Tom Aspinall or one of those guys who has been active, it may be a problem for Jon Jones."
Jones has been training with Henry Cejudo for a while now. The likes of Jiri Prochazka and a lot of Olympic level wrestlers train in the same facility. Evans pointed out that it might be a good thing for Jones as he would get to sharpen skills with new partners.
"I like him training there, getting out of the box at Albequerque is not a bad thing for him."
Watch Rashad Evans talk about Jones:
Jon Jones and Rashad Evans fought back at UFC 145
Jones fought Rashad Evans back in 2012 at the UFC 145 pay-per-view. Jones came into the contest fresh off his stunning submission win against Lyoto Machida and took on Evans, a former champion of the division.
Jones earned a decision victory in that contest. The win marked the third successful defense of his title since winning it from Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua.
'Bones' had a dominant run in the 205lbs division of the UFC. His last fight in the division came against Dominick Reyes at UFC 247. He vacated the title after his win in 2020 in a bid to move up to the heavyweight division.