UFC fans have been eagerly waiting for Jon Jones to return to the octagon. It seems they finally have a date. ‘Bones’ has stated on Twitter that he is preparing to return on December 10 and wants to fight Stipe Miocic.
UFC 282 is being held on December 10, with the pay-per-view card already hosting the light heavyweight title rematch between Jiří Procházka and Glover Teixeira.
When a Jon Jones fan asked the former UFC champion when he would be returning to the octagon, Jones stated:
“I’m preparing to fight Stipe [Miocic] December 10 in Las Vegas. Not really sure what’s going on between Stipe and the UFC but I’m ready to compete! I’m going to control what I can and stay in shape.”
The UFC is yet to book the rumored fight between Miocic and Jones and it seems as if Stipe Miocic is holding things up. However, Dana White recently stated that Jones wouldn’t make his return until early 2023.
Moreover, according to his coach, reigning heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has also been in contact with the UFC about a potential matchup with ‘Bones’.
Jon Jones last fought back in 2020 when he took on Dominick Reyes at UFC 247. Jones won the fight via a controversial unanimous decision after five rounds of fighting. With such a long time between fights, the former UFC champion may have to battle ‘ring-rust’, the belief that a fighter loses their touch after a long period of inactivity.
Jones’ potential opponent, Miocic, last fought in 2021 in the UFC 260 headliner. The former heavyweight champion was KO’d by Francis Ngannou in the second round of their championship rematch.