Jon Jones has revealed that his latest UFC contract involves eight fights, starting with his heavyweight title bout against Ciryl Gane in March.
Jones is set to return to the Octagon at UFC 285 after three years away, taking on Gane with the vacant heavyweight belt on the line. The former light-heavyweight champion has teased a move up in weight for the best part of a decade, and fans will finally see it on 4 March, when the American fights Frenchman Gane in Las Vegas.
Discussing his current contract, Jones said on a Twitter Spaces stream with Kanpai Pandas on Tuesday (7 February): “Oh yes, [my pay increased]. I had eight fights left on my contract, I just wasn’t happy with my percentages.
“We just bumped up the pay and pretty much picked up where we left off with my commitment to the UFC. Hopefully I can get through all eight fights; that’s a lot of fighting at 35 years old. We’ll see.
“I’ve got my sights on Stipe Miocic,” Jones added, when asked about potential fights beyond UFC 285. “I think it just means the most. There’s a lot of guys out there, but for me personally, for my legacy, to defeat the greatest heavyweight of all time... it just means the most to me.
“As far as how soon: Hopefully I get out of this fight with no serious injuries, but I’d love to get [back] out there as soon as possible. My goal is anywhere from two to three fights depending on how it looks.”
Jones’ last fight was a controversial decision win against Dominick Reyes in February 2020, a result with which “Bones” remained light-heavyweight champion. He soon relinquished the gold, however, to focus on a move up to heavyweight.
“One of the hardest things was not being able to lose my shape while still trying to pack on 40lbs,” Jones said. “I think when the fans see me, they’ll be surprised that I still look a lot like I used to, [although] my shoulders are a lot more broader.
“I freaking gained a whole bunch of ass* unfortunately, but [I’ve been] just trying to keep that shape and doing it the right way.”
