Jon Jones says he feels more comfortable with himself as a human being than ever before.
“Bones” will compete this Saturday night (July 29). His opponent will be Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight title holder Daniel Cormier. This will be Jones’ first fight back since serving a suspension for violating the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) policy.
During a UFC 214 pre-fight press conference, the former pound-for-pound king talked about being happy to return to action:
“I’m just glad to be here, I’m grateful. It’s been a long road to get back to where I am today. A lot of effort, a lot of things that you guys haven’t seen. I’ve done a lot to get back here today. I’m just so excited to be here and got a super great feeling. Done everything right, got the strongest team around me and we believe we’re gonna get the job done like we always do. I feel like I’m at a pretty good place in my life with who I am. I’ve just kind of learned not to give a f*ck and it feels great.”
This won’t be the first time Jones and Cormier trade leather. Back in Jan. 2015, Jones was the reigning and defending 205-pound kingpin. He defeated “DC” via unanimous decision. Jones isn’t buying Cormier’s story of letting his emotions get the best of him.
“Daniel’s already said the first time we fought that the adrenaline or that ‘big fight feeling’ took over him and that was part of the reason why he lost. I find that interesting. A guy who wrestled in the NCAA, a guy who wrestled in the Olympics, a guy who fought for the Strikeforce championship. How could a guy with so much combat experience allow ‘butterflies’ to be a reason why he lost the first fight?”
