Jon Jones Says He Will Not Entertain Many Fights in the Heavyweight Division

Jon Jones has established himself as the best light heavyweight ever. ‘Bones’ made history when he became the youngest ever UFC champion, a record that stands to date. Even though there have been major blemishes on his career outside the octagon, Jones has maintained a high level of performances inside the octagon. 

After winning his belt against Gustafsson, Jones has defended it thrice. However, his last two title defenses against Thiago Santos and Dominick Reyes have not been the most convincing by his standards. Nevertheless, Jones has still achieved a lot in the division and sought a new challenge.

The former light heavyweight champion announced that he would be moving up to compete in the heavyweight division. The move had fans buzzing, as Jones will look to join an exclusive club of dual champions in the UFC. 

Read: Jon Jones details why ‘giving back to the community’ is so important 

Can Jon Jones add his name to the list of two-division champions in the UFC?

In a recent interview, Jon Jones spoke about his future in the sport and his move up to heavyweight. He said, “I was just ready to challenge myself. I was ready to enter a new chapter in my career.”

“At this point, I’m in this sport for legacy and for the biggest-paying fights, and I just don’t think that continuing on at light heavyweight was going to do much for my legacy…The reason why I decided to vacate the light heavyweight belt and not hang onto it is that I knew my move to heavyweight was going to take a really long time”

‘Bones’ continued, “I would love to win the heavyweight championship, defend it two or three times against the top heavyweights out there, and then I’d really like to transition into humanitarian work,”

Jones has been involved in humanitarian work through his organization, the CARE project. ‘Bones’ recently gave away 50 vouchers of $500 each to help people in the tough times brought about by the pandemic. 

A move to heavyweight and success at heavyweight will cement Jones’ position as the best in the business. Unfortunately, it will be a while before he can compete at heavyweight.

 Jones could keep himself busy with charitable work to bide his time as he trains for an eventual heavyweight showdown. Given his comments, he will pick elite opponents that will push him to the absolute limit.