Up until this point Jon Jones has been full of enthusiasm about his move up to heavyweight, but now he’s acknowledged for the first time that the transition hasn’t been plain sailing.
In fact, in a series of Twitter posts he revealed that it’s likely to be another year before he’s actually ready to compete in his new weight class.
“Man I’m telling you, I’ve always been the skinny one in my family,” Jones responded to a fan who was encouraging him to get back in the Octagon soon. “Becoming a proper heavy weight is a lot more difficult than I had ever anticipated. I want to do it right the first time.
“Honestly I feel like the only people that it benefits, me jumping in their early are the other heavy weights. The way I’m training, I’m gonna be a real problem this time next year. I’m comfortable enough to wait and that’s exactly what I’ll do.”
When asked to confirm that he was going to take another year out, having already not fought since February of last year, the 33-year-old Jones confirmed that was his intention.
“Yes, I got a feeling you guys will still be around. The sport should be bigger than ever by then.. Always looking on the bright side.”
As things stand, the UFC is targeting a fight between current champion Francis Ngannou and Derrick Lewis next after they baulked at Jones pay demands a few months ago, while Dana White recently indicated that Stipe Miocic is also likely to leapfrog over ‘Bones’ in the title pecking order after he declined a fight with the former heavyweight champion.
