Jon Jones is on the road back to the octagon.
This past November, Jones suffered an ill-timed pectoral injury that forced him out of a heavyweight title defense against Stipe Miocic at UFC 295. The setback has left “Bones” sidelined with the expectation that the Miocic matchup will eventually be re-booked.
Jones posted to social media on Wednesday that he has returned to training for the first time since suffering his injury.
“First day back in the gym since my injury, felt amazing,” Jones wrote. “And so it began.”
The three-time light heavyweight champion has struggled to stay active in recent years, with just two fights since 2020. Jones defeated Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 and then was out of action until UFC 285, where he claimed a vacant heavyweight title with a dominant submission victory over Ciryl Gane.
Various legal issues outside of the cage as well as a previous contract dispute with the UFC have played a part in keeping Jones from competing.
The 36-year-old is still yet to be legitimately defeated in an MMA fight, with his lone blemishes in 29 pro bouts being a December 2009 disqualification loss to Matt Hamill and a no-contest against Daniel Cormier at UFC 214. Jones originally defeated Cormier by third-round knockout, but the result was overturned when Jones later tested positive for banned substances.
