Former UFC light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones, has insisted that he will not return to the Octagon in the under-93kg division.
The American fighter, who still doesn’t have a defined return, is preparing his debut in the heavyweight division (up to 120kg).
Jones took on his social media, admitting the underwhelming performance in his last fight against Dominick Reyes and ruled out returning to the division.
“My light heavyweight flame went out. I showed it in my last fight. Rather than being discouraged by the poor performance,” Jones tweeted.
“I am excited about this new opportunity. New energies. My time at light heavyweight was over, and today I see that more clearly than ever before.” he added.
Without fighting since February 2020, when he beat Reyes on points, Jones is looking for a new chapter in his Ultimate career. He relinquished the throne and opted to enter the new ranks.
Heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is expected to sit out the rest of the year after undergoing knee surgery. With that, Dana White said “Bones” could end up debuting in an interim title shot.
“It’s something we can do. If Francis Ngannou has to be out for a year because of surgery or something, Jon could make his heavyweight debut fighting for a belt,” Dana White said.
Jones has already been training and physically preparing to move up in the division. The MMA star is confident he can make a good debut and make history by claiming his second belt with the company.
“I’ve been imagining this for over two years. I truly believe that winning the heavyweight belt is in my destiny. It’s already been written. I just need to work hard, focus and everything will be fine.” Jones said.