Jon Jones is back in Las Vegas for UFC 329 fight week, serving as a mentor to Gable Steveson as the Olympic gold medalist prepares for his promotional debut.
Steveson, a heavyweight signed by the UFC, is set to compete on the UFC 329 prelims in Las Vegas against Elisha Ellison. Steveson enters with a 3-0 professional record, with all three wins coming by first-round knockout. Ellison is 5-2 overall and 0-1 in the UFC after a first-round knockout loss to Brando Pericic.
Jones spoke about his return to the fight-week environment and his new role alongside Steveson. "It feels so good to be back here," Jones said. "It makes me miss the game tremendously, but I had my time." He added, "I feel like to be one of the best fighters you have to be very selfish," before explaining his shift in focus: "Now it’s time for me to learn more about being selfless and so I’m here, Team Steveson giving him the best I’ve got, giving him my full support all the way to the top."
Steveson brings a decorated amateur resume into UFC 329 as an Olympic freestyle gold medalist and two-time Division I wrestling champion. Jones, who has publicly gone back and forth about returning for another fight after retirement, previously refused to fight for $15 million on the UFC White House card in June.
One nickname also surfaced around Steveson during fight week: "The Snack Panther."
