2021 is the first year Jon Jones hasn’t competed since making MMA debut in 2008

2021 is the first calendar year where Jon Jones hasn’t fought since making his debut in 2008.

Despite all the controversies outside the cage, Jones always managed to fight at least once a year. He vacated the light heavyweight championship after his last fight against Dominick Reyes in February 2020 following a pay dispute with the UFC.

‘Bones’ has also expressed a desire to move up to the heavyweight division and become a champion in multiple weight classes. Now that domestic violence charges against him have been dropped in the state of Nevada, he’s eyeing a return to the octagon in the second quarter of 2022.

In an Instagram post, MMA History Today pointed out that this was the first time Jones hadn’t fought in a calendar year since his debut. The statement can be ratified by glancing through his record on Sherdog.com or Tapology.com. Even after testing positive for a Turinabol metabolite at UFC 214, he managed to return to action with a fight against Alexander Gustafsson in December 2018.

Check out the Instagram post below:

Glover Teixeira thinks Jon Jones will have his hands full with Francis Ngannou

If Jon Jones returns to action in the second quarter of 2022, he would have been out of action for two years. ‘Bones’ would also be carrying some ring rust with him in his next fight.

Current UFC light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira thinks that this period of inactivity coupled with a move to a new weight class will present problems for ‘Bones’ in a fight with Francis Ngannou. Teixeira said during an interview with Sherdog.com:

“It’s tough to say right now. One, it’s a heavyweight fight. Another one is, Jon has been out for a year-and-a-half, right? By the time he fights, it is going to be about a year-and-a-half or two years maybe. So a little time off there, so I think it’s going to be a difficult fight for Jon Jones.”

Check out Glover Teixeira’s interview with Sherdog.com below:

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Francis Ngannou will defend the heavyweight championship against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270. While there’s been no official announcement, the winner of the bout could be in line for a super fight with Jon Jones.