Jon Jones lists pay, lack of nervousness and others as factors for shifting up to heavyweight
Jon Jones will make his highly anticipated return to the octagon when he faces Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 after more than three years away from the sport.
The long-time light heavyweight champion recently shared his reasons for moving up in weight.
THE WORLD WILL BE WATCHING 👑🌎
Your official #UFC285 poster has landed!! https://t.co/k5ty3M9VEo
Speaking with Jimmy Smith of MMA on Sirius XM, 'Bones' detailed how his light heavyweight title reign began to get boring:
"I don't know if it was necessarily in my training. I stopped studying footage as much. I started just looking forward to another day at the office. The fear was gone - I didn't really fear these guys, and I wasn't happy with my pay either."
Jon Jones continued:
"I was starting to fight guys like (Dominick) Reyes, who had been dreaming of fighting me probably since college, and he was just relatively unknown to the general public. I just wanted more. I wanted to be nervous again. I wanted to have fear again. I think fear is healthy, and now we're in this position. The heavyweight division has never been scarier, and I'm glad to be right in the middle of it."
Despite losing his motivation to fight at light heavyweight, Jones left the division without being defeated, easily establishing himself as the greatest light heavyweight of all time.
He will look to solidify his already strong case for the greatest mixed martial artist of all time by becoming just the eighth fighter in UFC history to become a champion in two weight classes.
Watch Jon Jones' comments on his move to the heavyweight division below:
#UFC285 "The fear was gone. I didn't really fear these guys, and I wasn't happy with my pay either."
Jon Jones (@JonnyBones) shares what factors went into his decision to move up to HW w/@jimmysmithmma 👊 #UFC285
Source: Unlocking the Cage with Jimmy Smith https://t.co/5eUxvS83bE
Jon Jones continues to bury hatchet with Daniel Cormier
Jon Jones shocked fans when he took to Twitter to announce that he has no issues with his long-time rival Daniel Cormier serving as a commentator for his UFC 285 bout with Ciryl Gane.
'Bones' once again took to Twitter to praise the UFC Hall of Famer:
"In all seriousness DC, I’m cool with you bro. I recognize the man you are; I wasn’t lying when I said those things in my post fight interview. Outside of us being fierce competitors, I dig the way you represent yourself, the wrestling community, our community, and our sport."
Jones added:
"Sit down interview, post fight interview, coaches meeting. We’re cool man for real. I appreciate your competitive nature; you drove me to be a better competitor. Forever grateful."
While Jones and Cormier had a heated rivalry inside and outside the octagon, it appears that the two have finally fully put those issues behind them. Although the official commentary team for UFC 285 has not been announced, it's difficult to imagine that the former double champ will not be in the broadcast.
Check out Jon Jones' tweets on Daniel Cormier below:
In all seriousness DC, I’m cool with you bro. I recognize the man you are, I wasn’t lying when I said those things in my post fight interview. Outside of us being fierce competitors I dig the way you represent yourself, the wrestling community, our community, and our sport
Sit down interview, post fight interview, coaches meeting. We’re cool man for real. I appreciate your competitive nature, you drove me to be a better competitor. Forever grateful.