"The guy is pathetic" - Colby Covington slams "washed up" former champion Jon Jones
Colby Covington has slammed Jon Jones following his domestic incident and labeled the two-time UFC light heavyweight champion "pathetic". 'Chaos' was also critical of the 34-year-old's last few performances inside the octagon.
'Bones' hasn't competed since 2020 when he vacated the light heavyweight title amid a pay dispute with the UFC. His last two fights were close-fought decision wins over Dominick Reyes and Thiago Santos.
During an interview with Helen Yee Sports, Covington was dismissive of Jones' chances of becoming heavyweight champion in 2022. With 'Chaos' saying:
"Absolutely not. I don't even know if he can beat up his wife still. The guy's pathetic. He's just grasping at straws now... How is he still even in the pound-for-pound rankings? The moral of the story is the only person Jon Jones has beaten in the last 3-4 years is his wife... How is he still credible to be a pound-for-pound fighter?"
Covington referenced the recent domestic violence charge leveled at the former light heavyweight champion as he was arrested the night of his Hall of Fame induction in September. The charges against Jones were dropped in the state of Nevada earlier this month after he reached a plea deal with prosecutors.
Covington proceeded to criticize the media for Jones still being included in the pound-for-pound rankings. The main reason being that he believes the former light heavyweight king is past his prime.
"The guy's washed up. Dana White said it himself, Uncle Dana. He's the biggest waste of talent in the history of the UFC. I don't think we should see that guy fight again. I think he's cognitively declined. All the partying, all the drugs, all the steroids. The guy's a mess."
Check out Colby Covington's interview with Helen Yee Sports below:
Francis Ngannou isn't convinced that Jon Jones will return to the Octagon in 2022
UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou isn't buying that Jon Jones will fight in 2022. 'Bones' recently revealed that he's looking to return to the octagon sometime in 2022.
During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Ngannou said he had a hard time taking Jones' comments at face value. 'The Predator' said:
"Personally, I don’t really care about that anymore, you know. There’s a lot of talk about Jon Jones. He says a lot of things, and yet we are still here. And I wasn’t even expecting fighting someone other than Jon Jones after the Stipe [Miocic] fight. But here I am, almost 10 months away, going to fight Ciryl Gane, which wasn’t in the picture, in the landscape, at that moment, at all. So, what Jon Jones says, and what Jon Jones does, it’s two different things. And I can’t bet on that. I can’t put my money on that. You know, so, as I said, I just do what I gonna do, and we don’t know what the future holds for us."
Check out Francis Ngannou's interview with MMA Junkie below:
Francis Ngannou is set for a unification bout against interim champion Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 on January 22nd. The winner could potentially take on Jon Jones in 2022.