Jon Jones has admitted that he wanted “more time” to prepare for his UFC return against Ciryl Gane.
UFC legend Jones, 35, faces Gane for the vacant heavyweight title at UFC 285 on March 4 in Las Vegas following Francis Ngannou’s decision to vacate the title and leave the promotion. A fight between Jones and Ngannou was sought-after for several years, but Ngannou was unable to reach a new agreement with the UFC after a lengthy contract battle.
Former light-heavyweight champion Jones first discussed a potential heavyweight move over a decade ago but dedicated himself to his division and defended his 205lb title for the last time three years ago. Despite his long absence, Jones admits that he would have ideally liked a bit more time to prepare for the crafty style that his opponent Gane possesses.
“It’s kind of short time for me. I wish I had a little bit more time to prepare, but I believe when I fought Ryan Bader, the UFC gave me just about six weeks to prepare for Shogun [Mauricio Rua] just after that fight,” Jones told MMA Underground. “This idea of preparing for a new opponent in about a six or seven-week frame, I’ve done it before and I think it’s more than enough time. I would have liked more time, but I do think that this is a good amount of time, so I feel great.”
Jones was caught up in his own pay dispute with the UFC two years ago as Dana White claimed he was demanding $30million to fight Ngannou, something that ‘Bones’ later refuted. However, the 35-year-old signed a new eight-fight deal whilst agreeing to face Gane, and he has promised fans they will see him fight at least twice more following his three-year absence from the sport.
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“MMA feels fun to me again. Obviously, with being out for three years and a new division, there’s a lot of questions that cause me to stay up long nights, but it keeps me sharp. That’s something I felt like I didn’t have at light-heavyweight toward the end. It just felt like another day at the office,” Jones added.
“This doesn’t feel like another day at the office, this feels very different. The nerves, anxiety, it’s all back, and I do good when I’m under pressure. My immediate goal is to beat Ciryl Gane and to beat Stipe Miocic. After that, it will just be conversations with the UFC to see what makes sense, but I’m guaranteeing the fans at least two more fights out of me.”
