Jon Jones is only days away from the most important fight of his life, a rematch against Daniel Cormier at UFC 200. A 19-month journey will come to a conclusion, when both these men face each other again. It’s a path that saw Jones beat Cormier once, but had to relinquish his title due to personal demons and private struggles.
Now he is back and ready to prove to Cormier and the world that he is still the best ever. Once known to be a gifted prodigy that relied more on his raw talent than diligent training, he now feels that his new-found dedication will make the difference this Saturday.
“My body’s hurting, it’s hurting all over,” Jones said on his way to one of his final training sessions before the fight, at JacksonWinkeljohn’s MMA in Albuquerque, New Mexico. “I tell you what: DC can’t push as hard as I can. I proved that in the last fight and I will prove it in a few days. I’m the king of the grind, not you DC. Not you.”
Jones recently stated that he relied too much on weight training in his last fight, what many felt has been a lackluster performance against Ovince Saint Preux, who replaced the injured Cormier at UFC 197 in April this year. This time he focussed on the aspects of the game that have made him what he is right now: the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world.
“Lungs: check. Endurance: check. Technique: check. Confidence: check. Belt: check,” he continued.
Jones beat Cormier via unanimous decision at UFC 182 in January 2015. Their rematch will headline UFC 200 this Saturday.