UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones has provided an update on his physical condition ahead of this weekend’s pay-per-view.
Jones will return to the main event spotlight on Saturday night to headline UFC 309, set to play out inside the prestigious Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The Rochester native was previously slated to do so for the promotion’s 2023 visit to the iconic venue, but a torn pectoral tendon forced a postponement of his title defense against the returning Stipe Miocic.
12 months on — and despite many taking issue with “Bones” facing Miocic over interim champ Tom Aspinall — the pair will give their matchup a second go in “The Big Apple.”
Jones is unsurprisingly confident of his chances against Miocic, who hasn’t competed in three and a half years. But he seemingly wouldn’t describe himself as being at 100 percent himself when he enters the Octagon again.
During a recent interview with New York Post Sports, Jones looked back on his recovery and assessed how his training has compared to the lead-up to his canceled clash with Miocic last year.
“Bones” admitted that his strength is somewhat down from this time 12 months ago and suggested that other competitors might not be returning from a pectoral tear at this stage.
“I took my recovery pretty seriously. Right now, I feel like I’m in the shape of my life,” Jones said. “This is about as soon as I should be back in the cage. The injury was anywhere from eight months to a year. … Some athletes would still be using this time to recover but I know this sport only waits for so long.
“I do feel healed enough to be in there. I’m not as strong as I used to be but I’m smarter than ever, I have a lot of experience, and I’m plenty strong,” Jones continued. “Before my pec tear, I was benching like, 315 (pounds) I could do for five reps and I had about a 500-pound squat for a few reps. I was pretty strong. Now, I feel incredibly strong still but not like, superhuman strength the way I used to feel.”
While apparently not in the kind of condition he was set to enter UFC 295 in last year, Jones is evidently confident that he’s ready to make his return 20 months on from his crowning as heavyweight kingpin.
