Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion John Jones days left until his heavyweight debut UFC 285but you don’t have to wait until Saturday to see what it looks like in a cage.
Competing with the big boys in the heavyweight division has meant that Jones (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) has had to put on a few pounds for his 6-foot-4 height, and has been bulking up for the past three years while maintaining his athleticism. At UFC 285 media day on Wednesday, Jones spoke about the changes to his physique and how he expects to perform in the cage against Cyril Gein (11-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) for the vacant heavyweight title in the main event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“Honestly, I feel like a stronger version of myself,” Jones told reporters. “I’m not super skinny. I don’t have the mean six pack like I used to. It took me a while to get used to it, you know what I mean? For example, I used to rate my fitness level by how I looked in the mirror.
“Now I am a heavyweight. It’s not about how you look. It’s about how you perform. I feel like I’m doing very well. … I feel very good. I like it. I eat what I want, I feel good. Life is good.”
Images from the UFC 285 pre-fight photo shoot are now available, and you can see Jones’ heavyweight figure in his Venum UFC fight gear for the first time. Take a look at Jones’ new physique below (via Getty Images):
Embed from Getty Images
For comparison to Jones’ light heavyweight body, check out these images ahead of his final appearance at UFC 247 in February 2020:
At UFC 247, Jones weighed just under the light heavyweight championship mark for his title defense against Dominick Reyes, entering the scales at 204 pounds.
It remains to be seen where he will tip the scales on Friday morning at the official weigh-in, but photos show that he is far from the light heavyweight limit these days.
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Source: sports.yahoo.com
