Mason Jones: Redeem London with UFC bonus night

Following a defeat to Klein in July 2022, Jones and the UFC mutually agreed not to sign a new deal.

Reflecting on the alternative path he could have chosen, Jones offered an honest assessment.

“I remember sitting in my coach’s office after everything that happened in London because I was such a mess,” he recalls.

“My coach said to me, ‘Look, I think you need to go somewhere else and work with someone else because I don’t think I can give you what you need.’

“I told him while crying at the time: Please stay by my side, as long as you guys are in my corner I will face anything.”

“They have stuck by me ever since and I can’t thank the boys enough.

“As long as these boys are there for me, I will give them as much as they give me, and I can’t ask anyone else to stand by me and help me reach the top.”

For Jones, there was no other possibility but to continue chasing his dreams in the UFC.

“I took credit in this camp when I was running through the mountains, and I chose this life.

“I know it’s weird to say this, but every day I wake up I choose this life.”

The easy thing was to go and get a job, Jones admitted.

“I can literally at any time think, ‘No, I’m done,’ and get a different job with weekly pay,” he added.

“After I left London, I went unpaid for two years, ran up credit card debt, and was asked to quit by family and friends.

“I had a family business that I could have done, and done more in school.

“But for me, fighting is in my blood, and fighting is what I want to do.”