Fighter Of The Year?

Henry Cejudo has seen a lot from Jon Jones ever since “Bones” started training at his Fight Ready gym in late 2021 and believes the former UFC light heavyweight king is about to set 2023 on fire.

Jones, who hasn’t competed since a close decision win over Dominick Reyes back in Feb. 2020, is widely considered one of the best fighters of all time. However, the last few years have been difficult for Jones as he’s been unable to compete. Due to a lengthy move up to heavyweight and multiple incidents with authorities, “Bones” has been riding the pine for nearly three years.

Luckily, Jones has surrounded himself with new team members and fresh input at Fight Ready, which is ran by Cejudo. Despite being one of the best fighters ever Jones has been able to pick up some new tricks while training alongside the former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion and finally seems ready to make his return in 2023.

It’s uncertain who Jones will fight in his return and official heavyweight debut, but a matchup with current UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou seems to be the odds-on favorite. It’s a matchup that has Cejudo drooling out the mouth.

“It’s gonna put a stamp on top of the stamp on top of the stamp that he is the greatest of all time,” Cejudo said on his YouTube channel. “When I think of that matchup, especially Francis coming out of an injury and Jon being hungry, being out for three-and-a-half years, I think the ball’s pretty much on Jon’s court.

“It’s not a biased opinion, but just the simple fact that Jon Jones has been injury free, Jon Jones has been training, Jon Jones has had the ability of re-kindling, re-sparking that fire once again. So when I think of 2023, the return and who it is that’ll be Fighter of the Year, I think of a guy like Jon Jones.”

Jones is certainly capable of making a return to action and captivating the MMA landscape once again, but he has to prove he can stay active. Not fighting in nearly three years isn’t a great look even for a legend like “Bones.” Luckily, Jones knows how to win and that’s exactly what Cejudo is counting on when the former UFC champion returns.

“The edge on that, I think, is just his competitiveness,” Cejudo said. “Jon Jones is a better competitor than he is a fighter. That’s what he has the difference between him and Francis Ngannou. Francis Ngannou does have something, and it is called power, but when you’re able to fatigue power, and you’re able to do it in a certain way, it changes everything. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.”