Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones confirmed that he has “no intentions of ever going back to light heavyweight” in his career.
Jones vacated the 205lbs title back in the summer with a planned move up to the UFC heavyweight division. Right now, UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic is set to take on No. 1 contender Francis Ngannou in early 2021, and UFC president Dana White has said that Jones will be next up for the winner.
Speaking to Bleacher Report, Jones confirmed that heavyweight is a permanent move and he has no intentions of moving back down to 205lbs.
“The reason why I decided to vacate the light heavyweight belt and not hang onto it is that I knew my move to heavyweight was going to take a really long time. I didn’t want to be one of those athletes to slow down the division. I feel like I’ve held onto the light heavyweight championship for so long—I’ve ruined so many people’s dreams of being the light heavyweight champion—and now it’s time for someone else to have it,” Jone said.
“I thought it was the right thing to do for everyone else. I could have done the selfish thing and held onto it and come up with a bunch of excuses and lied to the fans and said I was going to come back down to light heavyweight and made all these guys wait. I didn’t want to do that. I have no intentions of ever going back to light heavyweight.”
Jones is the greatest light heavyweight of all time and arguably the greatest ever regardless of weight class. Of course, winning a second title in a second UFC weight class would help strengthen that argument, which is why Jones is making sure he is taking all the right steps to make a successful move up in weight. Because it’s his legacy on the line, and this move will define his career.
How excited are you to see Jon Jones fighting at heavyweight?
