Jon Jones claims ‘lack of fear’ fueled heavyweight move ahead of UFC 285 return in March

Former two-time undisputed UFC light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones has claimed a “lack of fear” whilst fighting at 205lbs during the tail-end of his tenure in the weight class, fueled his impending heavyweight divisional debut next month.
Slated to take main event honors at UFC 285 on March 4. at the T-Mobile Arena, Jones is booked to fight former interim heavyweight champion, Ciryl Gane for the vacant division crown in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The outing with come as the Rochester native’s first since February 2020, where he successfully defended the light heavyweight title in a close, debated unanimous decision win over Dominick Reyes in Houston, Texas.
In August of that year, Jones officially vacated the undisputed light heavyweight throne, ahead of a heavyweight move, however, the look-see-do fighter will only make good on that debut in the division next month against Gane – snapping his lengthy hiatus.
Discussing his impending Octagon return and professional debut at heavyweight, Jones admitted that a “lack of fear” toward the end of his second title reign has fueled this move.
“I stopped studying footage as much, it started to feel more like another day in the office,” Jon Jones told Jimmy Smith during an appearance on Unlocking the Cage. “The fear was gone. I didn’t really fear these guys.”
“I wasn’t happy with the pay, either,” Jon Jones explained. “I’m stuck fighting guys like (Dominick) Reyes – who had been dreaming of fighting me, probably since college, and [he] was just relatively unknown to the general public. I just wanted more, I wanted to be nervous again. I wanted to have fear again. I think fear is healthy, and now we’re in this position. The heavyweight division has never been scarier, and I’m glad to be in the middle of it.”
Senior writer for FightBook MMA. An aspiring mixed martial arts reporter based in Ireland. Producer of news articles, interviews, opinion features, and exclusive features such as, ‘The Fallout’, ‘The Breakdown, and, ‘This Week In MMA’.
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