Once upon a time, Jon Jones was tentatively planning an early exit strategy from mixed martial arts.
Jones addressed the topic shortly after edging Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 in the toughest test of his stellar professional career. Back then, “Bones” expressed a desire to retire by age 30.
“I’m 26 now. I think a man can be in his fighting prime until his mid 30s,” Jones told CBS Baltimore in November 2013. “Saying that though I would like to retire by 30, so a few more years.”
These days, however, Jones has a different vision, and he attributes much of that to the lifestyle changes he has implemented during the course of the past year.