Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones had repeatedly admitted to not taking his first fight against Alexander Gustafsson in 2013 seriously. On December 29th at UFC 232, the two men will once again meet, possibly for the light heavyweight title.
And as early as now, his coaches are already assured that “Bones” will be taking the exact opposite mindset this time around. Israel Martinez, for one, already sees it himself.
“It’s like Yair (Rodriguez). Yair overcame a lot and he feels great. Jon’s overcome a lot and he feels great also. You get that vibe from him,” Martinez said on a recent episode of The MMA Hour (via MMA Fighting). “You get that energy. He called me the other day as we were talking to Yair before the fight, wishing Yair good luck, and I noticed his head was shaved. And when Jon Jones shaves his head, that means he’s all business.
“So it was good to see him with his head shaved. It was good to see him with high spirits, wishing Maycee Barber, wishing Yair Rodriguez good luck, because I cornered those guys. So, he’s ready, his spirits are high, and it’s dangerous when these guys can overcome some stuff and move forward, because Jon’s going to put on a show.”
UFC 232 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It will be co-headlined by a women’s featherweight title fight between Cris Cyborg and Amanda Nunes.