Skip to main content

Jon Jones upcoming heavyweight debut (whenever that might be) is one of the more interesting subplots in MMA in 2021. 

The former longtime UFC light heavyweight champion announced last year that he was relinquishing his world title in favour of testing the waters at heavyweight and has spent much of the past several months preparing his frame to take on the challenges of the likes of Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou — and as you can see by the video below, things seem to be progressing nicely.

“Old dog in the yard showing what grown man strength looks like,” wrote Jones alongside the brief video.

The specifics of Jones’ heavyweight bow have yet to be revealed but it is thought that he will be offered the opportunity to tangle with the winner of this month’s heavyweight title rematch between champion Miocic and the concussive power of Ngannou.

This comes after talk of a Jon Jones vs. Israel Adesanya matchup has died down after the ‘Last Stylebender’ was unsuccessful in his bid last weekend to prize the 205-pound title from the grasp of current champ Jan Blachowicz. Prior to that, both Jones and Adesanya had maintained a months-long social media feud which many assumed would lead to a high profile showdown between the two at a later date.

Instead, though, it seems as if Jones will concentrate fully on fighting names from the already established list of heavyweights — and judging by the buzz surrounding his debut, it seems nearly certain that Jones will soon get an opportunity to add a world title in a second weight class to his already dizzying collection of silverware.