Jon Jones' former rival weighs in on Bones' "chubby" physique heading into UFC 285

Chael Sonnen, who has had a contentious past with Jon Jones, has commented on the UFC fighter's recent physical appearance leading up to UFC 285 as a heavyweight. Sonnen has remarked that Jones appears to have missed the mark in terms of his optimum weight for heavyweight division goals, describing him as "chubby."

The former middleweight title challenger's statement suggests that he believes Jones is not adequately prepared for the bout and may not be in optimal shape. Given their history of rivalry, Sonnen's comments may add further fuel to the already intense anticipation surrounding the upcoming fight.

Chael Sonnen had high expectations for Jon Jones' physical appearance leading up to UFC 285, hoping to see a shredded Jones that would play into his vanity. However, Jones declined to disclose his weight, indicating that it would be a surprise for his opponent, Ciryl Gane, to find out at the weigh-ins. To which 'The Bad Guy' stated:

"We got a chubby Jon Jones. I was expecting a shredded Jones that would speak to the Vanity of Jones. I thought that was great, that had me interested. I don't know that I buy the rumour of 267 [lbs]. I think that 240 was a very good goal."

"And when Jon came out and refused to tell us the weight... my thought was he fell short of his goal. He got to 240, he signed the contract. His coaches stepped in and they upped the training. And if I was to guess he's gonna be right around 240."

Following his victory over Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 in 2020, where he successfully defended his light-heavyweight title, Jon Jones relinquished the championship to pursue his audacious ambition of becoming the heavyweight champion. This pivotal moment in Jones' career has cemented his status as a true trailblazer in the sport of UFC.

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Jon Jones' thoughts heading up to his battle against Ciryl Gane

Jon Jones will make his much-awaited comeback to the UFC octagon this weekend against Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 after a three-year sabbatical. As he prepares for his heavyweight debut, 'Bones' recently detailed the mental differences between himself and his adversary.

The former light heavyweight champion remarked on the recent episode of the UFC 285 Embedded: Vlog Series:

"I hear that Ciryl Gane's soccer team, his online team, is ranked top sixty in the world. I'm sitting here focusing on combat. He's out here playing video games. The job is to have no mercy at the end of the day, whether he is ready for this opportunity or not."

'Jonny Bones' further added:

"There's somewhere inside of him that he thinks there's a chance that he's going to take food off my family's table, that he's going to destroy my legacy, and that's something I take very personal and there's no mercy. Probably in France, he's super popular right now. They don't care whether they win or lose. They're just glad to be here. His coach is in suits, you guys haven't even showered today."

Check out Jon Jones' remarks on Ciryl Gane below: