"He's gifted" - Demetrious Johnson on training in the same room as Jon Jones
Demetrious Johnson recently weighed in on Jon Jones, whose potential return at UFC 282 currently hangs in the balance. Having trained with Jones at Fight Ready MMA in Arizona, Johnson considers the former light heavyweight kingpin a "gifted" athlete.
Johnson noted that a disqualification loss (via 12-6 elbows) to Matt Hamill back in 2009 is the only blemish on Jones' near-perfect professional record. 'Mighty Mouse' ranks 'Bones' among the best to have ever graced the sport, alongside himself.
Johnson said in a recent interview with Helen Yee:
"I'm super excited for Jon Jones. I truly believe he is one of the greatest ever to do it. I mean he's never been beaten. I mean he does have that one disqualification loss, [to] Matt Hamill I believe. But I truly believe he is one of the best ever to do it amongst myself. I've been in the same room with him training. He's gifted, his athletic ability is unmatched and he is very hard worker."
Watch Demetrious Johnson's interview with Helen Yee below:
Jones vacated his light heavyweight title after his narrow decision win over Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 in 2020. He has spent that last two years bulking up in preparation for his highly anticipated heavyweight debut, which appears to be on the horizon.
Jon Jones believes the heavyweight title is in his future 🔮
(via @JonnyBones) https://t.co/GGPMKmUSBc
Ariel Helwani believes finances might be the only hold-up in finalizing Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic for UFC 282
Since vacating the 205-pound strap over two years ago, Jon Jones' heavyweight debut has been the talk of the town. With heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou recovering from a knee injury and amidst a contract dispute with the UFC, a fight between Jones and former heavyweight titleholder Stipe Miocic appears to be the likeliest option.
Earlier this year, 'Bones' teased that his return could take place at UFC 282, scheduled for December 10th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Jon Jones hints that he’ll return at #UFC282 in December. 🦴 https://t.co/mGFEGyDYik
The UFC recently announced a light heavyweight title fight between Jiri Prochazka and Glover Teixeira for UFC 282, leading to speculation that Jones vs. Miocic is off the card.
However, leading MMA journalist Ariel Helwani believes the fight could very much be targeted for UFC 282. According to Helwani, the only hold-up might be finances. He said on the latest edition of The MMA Hour:
"Can they do Stipe vs. Jon on that card? I think a 100%... That's a big big fight. My big question is, do they make it right? I think that if it is right, if they pay accordingly, I think they'll get this fight done. I think we'll see this fight. If we don't see this fight, there's only one reason why, it's finances. And that's unfortunate and that's a bummer... It would be such a shame of the last years of the great Jon Jones' career just get wasted over finances."
Watch Ariel Helwani discuss Jon Jones' return below: