‘A Few Souls Will Be Saved Because Of My Existence’

Jon Jones wants to use his return for the greater good.

The former two-time Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight champion, Jones, ends a three-year hiatus this weekend (Sat., March 4, 2023) at UFC 285 in Las Vegas, Nevada. “Bones” takes on top Heavyweight contender, Ciryl Gane, in a vacant title tilt and what will also be his divisional debut.

Upon leaving the sport in early 2020 and relinquishing his 205-pound crown, Jones seemingly lost interest and motivation in continuing to defend his throne. Therefore, leading the all-time great to a bigger and better challenge up a weight class along with a more lucrative contract. In the end, Jones highlights that he wants to use this chapter in his life beyond what he does inside the Octagon.

“My motivation is to become the best man that I can be,” Jones said at UFC 285 media day (h/t MMA Junkie). “Be a reflection of god’s love, his forgiveness, and ultimately have fans from around the world to see the Christ that’s inside of me.

“None of us are perfect,” he continued. “We all have ups and downs in life. I genuinely believe that my imperfection makes me very relatable to a lot of people and one of my goals is for people to one day see that if a person like Jon can love Jesus Christ, and a person like Jon can have a relationship with Jesus Christ then maybe I can, too. I really believe that my platform one day [is] gonna lead a lot of people to Jesus Christ.”

Throughout his illustrious 28-fight career, Jones (26-1, 1 no contest) has been his own worst enemy. The Rochester, New York native’s legacy is one surrounded by asterisks thanks to extracurricular activities, whether that be legal issues or banned substance usage.

Of course, Jones is hoping to have put his past troubles fully behind him, but he knows he can’t make any promises.

“I’m excited to get things right eventually,” Jones said. “I’m 35 years old and I’m at an age where you can’t make many excuses for downfalls and stuff like that, but I am a young man. I’m looking forward to the man that I’m gonna be one day when I’m maybe in my 40s.

“I’m not saying I won’t make mistakes again in the future, but I’m gonna be a man with a lot of experience. Ultimately, I really do believe a few souls will be saved because of my existence and that is my motivation. To build a big platform and find ways to give glory to God.”

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Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 285 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6:15 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

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