The UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones is set to make his highly anticipated comeback next month. He will take on former heavyweight champion and UFC legend Stipe Miocic at UFC 309. In the potential retirement fight, the GOAT candidate remains in intense preparation. ‘Bones’ was recently seen training with Olympic gold medalist and former WWE star Gable Steveson.
Jon Jones recently put up a video on his Instagram page. Gable Steveson is an accomplished amateur wrestler who transitioned to WWE for a brief time. He also had a brief NFL stint as well. The training video showed the pair engaging in high-level grappling and striking drills. Jones seems to be sharpening his skills with Steveson’s elite wrestling abilities. He even nearly landed a flying knee on Steveson.
Training with the best @gablesteveson.
Jon Jones via Instagram
Fans speculated whether Steveson might soon make his debut in the octagon soon enough. Steveson is a highly decorated wrestler with an Olympic gold medal in freestyle wrestling from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Steveson was also a dominant force in NCAA Division I wrestling, winning two NCAA championships and three Big Ten titles with an exceptional record of 85-2.
Stipe Miocic, on the other hand, wrestled at the NCAA Division I level for Cleveland State University. While Miocic was a talented D1 wrestler, he did not achieve the same level of national dominance as Steveson. However, Miocic’s wrestling skills have been critical in his UFC career. As such, Jon Jones, working with the gold medalist, will aim to counter Miocic’s threat.
Jon Jones vs. Alex Pereira only happens with the right amount of money
Former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub recently advocated for a fight between Jon Jones and Alex Pereira. On his ‘Thiccc Boy’ YouTube channel, Schaub deemed it the “only” matchup that makes sense for the UFC. He looked at it from both a sporting and business perspective.
He emphasized that the fight could generate significant pay-per-view revenue due to its sheer magnitude and star power. Additionally, Conor McGregor has also echoed Schaub’s sentiments. The Irish superstar was vocal in his support for Pereira to challenge Jones for the heavyweight title. However, he admitted one important thing for the UFC to make the matchup happen.
Jon Jones is the fight. You have him fight the ‘Greatest of all time’ you pay Jon Jones what he is worth, you do Alex (Pereira) vs Jon Jones. Its actually the only fight to make.
Brendan Schaub via Thiccc Boy
Schaub pointed out that other contenders, like interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, exist. The UFC may not be thrilled with the idea of a Pereira-Jones fight bypassing the more conventional title challenger route. With the upcoming UFC 309 showdown and ongoing rumors of Jon Jones’s potential retirement, it will be interesting to see what happens next in the 265 lbs weight class.
