Why the delay? Jon Jones gives insight into proposed Stipe Miocic matchup, plus reveals possible date and location
Jon Jones intermittently over the past year, but often his explanations have been held to character limits – a couple of tweets here and there that later on are deleted.
However, Friday at CES MMA 68 in Fargo, N.D., Jones (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) joined promotion commentators Pat Sullivan and Tom Lawlor on the UFC Fight Pass broadcast. Jones talked about the event and his teammate Maurice Greene, who competed later in the main event, but also fielded a couple of questions about himself.
For months, a matchup between Jones and former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic has been discussed by fans and the parties involved, but the timeline, at least to public knowledge, has been murky. On an Instagram live Thursday, Jones stated the “UFC has been playing little games.” But on Friday, he provided different insight into what caused the most recent delay.
“I heard originally it’d be July,” Jones said. “I think when Stipe got that date, I’ve heard he’s been doing a lot of weight-lifting and not a lot of MMA training. He wanted to put his best foot forward. I respect that. He’s a great champion. He deserves that. I think he asked for Sept. 24. I’m hoping that’s going to be in Las Vegas. I’ve been training about three times a day for about two years. I’m this close, why not wait a little bit longer? I’m excited for September.”
The UFC has yet to publicly announce a Sept. 24 event.
Jones, 34, has not competed for 27 months, since he defended his then-UFC light heavyweight title against Dominick Reyes. In the months that followed, Jones vacated his title, engaged in a very public spat with UFC president Dana White over fighter pay, hired new management, announced his move to heavyweight, was arrested for alleged misdemeanor domestic violence (though the charge were later dropped), and parted ways with his long-time gym Jackson Wink MMA.
Hey look who it is!!!@JonnyBones #CES68 pic.twitter.com/Bs0HETER3u
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) May 7, 2022
Though inactive from in-cage competition, Jones continues to show off his body transformation in training videos posted to his social media pages. Much of his preparation has taken place at his home gym, with other stints at facilities throughout the United States. In recent weeks, Jones made further advancements with the addition of hand-picked, big bodies from around the country – including a pair of UFC alumni.
“I decided to do my own thing and separate from Jackson Wink,” Jones said. “I started training at the original Jackson’s building. I’m just accumulating heavyweights from really all over the country. I had Yorgan De Castro come out. I had Mike Rodriguez come out, who’s going to be fighting on you guys’ next card. We’ve got Maurice Greene, who’s on you guys’ card. Just a lot of heavyweights.
“Everyone is welcome to come down to Albuquerque and get some good work in. It’s just been great. It’s been great giving back to the sport, sharing my knowledge. It’s been great kind of coaching more. I love it. I’m very happy giving back. It just feels right and I freaking love it.”