London, England — Lightweight Mason Jones admits that he had his struggles through his first three UFC fights, but ahead of Saturday’s UFC London, where he faces L’udovit Klein, the Welsh fighter was upbeat.
“I’m back, I’m healthy, I’m fit, and I feel dangerous. I’ve finally overcome my teething problems, and I’m going to settle in,” Jones (11-1, 1NC) exclaimed, speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press. “It’s a good place to do it, we’re in London, which is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. We’re fighting in front of a crowd, there’s a few people coming from home and I know I’ve got local support behind me. I’ve got a tough opponent, and we’re at the top of the prelims. So it’s a perfect time to shine, perfect time to make that statement and show people exactly who I am.”
The addition of Jones to the UFC London card wasn’t without its hurdles. For weeks, he’s known he had a spot on the card, without knowing who he’d be fighting.
“I think most of the media knew before I did,” said Jones, who recalled that his manager messaged him while he was on the plane to London. “We’ve been waiting long enough. I was looking at the UFC card for London, God, 15, 14 weeks ago. I knew I had a place on the card like 13 weeks out, and they’ve had so many problems matching me for different things. Tax purposes, a lot of the U.S. fighters and different things. We stuck the course, pushed through a solid training camp, and we got rewarded.”
There’s one other fight that Jones would have interest in, if things go his way Saturday. Or even if they don’t, from the sounds of it: the rematch with Alan Patrick. The pair’s first fight ended in a No Contest following an eye poke; Patrick pulled out of the rematch.
“If he’s not been cut yet, then I’ll run it back with him tomorrow. I’ll run it back the day after I fight this guy. Honestly I’m happy to put that guy [out] and retire him any time that the UFC wants to make that fight. But after his last performance, the way he pulled out of my fight and the fight against me, I can’t see how the UFC still signed him. If he hasn’t been cut yet, I’ll happily be his last fight in the UFC.”
Watch the full UFC London media day appearance from Mason Jones above. The event takes place this Saturday, July 23, 2022 at the O2 Arena in London, England.
