Jon Jones at Fight Ready | Eryk Anders Instagram Despite Jon Jones’ current legal troubles, along with a public exit from his now former longtime team, renowned striking coach Eddie Cha is happy to have the former UFC light heavyweight champion aboard at Phoenix’s Fight Ready gym. Following his induction into the UFC Hall of Fame for his memorable battle against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165, Jones was arrested on charges of battery domestic violence and injuring and tampering with a vehicle in Las Vegas. In addition, JacksonWink co-founder and coach Mike Winklejohn appeared on The MMA Hour in October and revealed that Jones was suspended from entering the facility. Since then, Jones has been seen training at Fight Ready with the likes of fellow former UFC champion Henry Cejudo. Cha spoke with MMA Fighting on Monday to provide details on how Jones was brought into the fold. “Henry gave me a call and told me that Jon reached out to him and was interested in coming out,” Cha told MMA Fighting. “We kind of prepared some things to work on and we’re super excited to have him here. “Everything that we decide is done as a team. It starts with our owner David Zowine. He calls each and every one of us and asks us if we want a certain individual here and we’ll say yes or no, and [give our reasons] why, then go from there. For me, it was a no-brainer. I think that people make mistakes — whether they make one, two, or three. Jon’s just under a microscope. Whenever he does anything wrong, it’s magnified. But if you know him as an individual, and I don’t know him as well as other people, but I’ve heard from other people doing my research, Greg [Jackson] has never had a problem with him, [Brandon] Gibson has never had a problem with him as an individual. “I don’t think anyone agrees with the mistakes he’s made, but at the same time we all make mistakes. I was super happy to work with him and judge him as an individual. I was saying let’s not judge him until we get to know him first, and I was super impressed — as a human being and as an athlete.” Jones was initially scheduled to appear in Las Vegas court this past week, however prosecutors were granted additional time to file the criminal complaint against the 34-year-old and the hearing was postponed until Jan. 31, 2022. With everything still up in the air in regards to the allegations against Jones, Cha says there was little to no hesitation to bring Jones in. “For me, no,” Cha said. “I don’t think that we’re able to change anybody unless somebody is willing to change. He’s come back and forth a few times already and the dude’s a class act, to me. I have zero problems with him and I’m excited to work with him.” It’s been nearly two years since “Bones” last competed inside the octagon, a unanimous decision win over Dominick Reyes in his final light heavyweight title defense at UFC 247 in February 2020. He has since vacated his title in lieu of a move to the heavyweight division. According to Cha, since Jones began spending time at the Arizona gym, he’s been a great presence for the community, as well as the high-level fighters he shares the mats with. “Obviously word got out that he was coming in, and there would be tons of people coming in wanting pictures and autographs,” Cha explained. “Even when we’re working out, you’d see little 5-year-old kids with their parents with stuff waiting for him to sign. During workouts, he’d look over, ‘How ya’ doing little man? Is this your son, sir? How are you doing? Can I come over and say hi?’ “He’ll literally take the time. Any kid that he sees, he’s gonna take the time to say hi, take pictures, whatever they want. There was like nine, 10 fans outside when we were working on a Saturday, same thing. He goes out, takes pictures, says hi. To me, you can kind of tell about an individual with how they act around kids. I think that makes a big difference. “Another thing, Eryk Anders has been in camp [preparing for UFC 269]. I don’t know how well they’ve known each other or anything, but the next week we came in and it was, ‘What do you want to work on?’ [Jones] said, ‘Well, I’m here for Eryk. Whatever he wants.’ I’m like, ‘Jon, you’re too big for him. I appreciate it, you’re not a light heavy no more, you’re an actual heavyweight now.’ He’s like 250, 255 now. Eryk was [jokingly] like, ‘What? He’s not helping me do nothing. He’s too big.’ But he’s just been nothing but giving from what we’ve seen.” With Jones eyeing a long-awaited return to competition in the coming months, his sights will likely be set on the upcoming heavyweight title fight at UFC 271 between Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane. Cha can’t officially say with full confidence that if Jones gets his wish, he’ll spend all — or even part — of his training camp at Fight Ready. Of course, Cha hopes that ends up being the case. When asked how he believes Jones matches up with Ngannou or Gane, Cha believes that with all Jones has accomplished throughout his career, that’s not the question to be asking. “I can tell you that he’s hungry, he’s learning, he’s eager to get going again, and hopefully we see him in there soon,” Cha said. “But honestly, he’s one of the best to ever do it. He matches up well against anybody and the question should be: How does Ngannou match up against him? How does Gane match up against him? Because Jon can do it in any way — he can wrestle one guy, or he can strike with one guy. He can go southpaw, he can go to orthodox. He can box, he can kickbox. His cage wrestling is amazing. His elbows are notorious. “What separates him from what I’ve seen — and I went back and watched some of his fights before working with him — is his mindset. He knows how to win. If you watch that Dominick Reyes fight — which I though was really, really close by the way — he just knows when to walk away with his fight. He knows, ‘I’ve got to win this round.’ He knows when to win these next two minutes of a round. I think the greats — even Henry Cejudo was kind of the same thing — if he sees blood, he goes for it right away. The greats are amazing finishers and they’re just winners.”

Daniel Cormier Earlier this year, after he lost a split decision in his boxing match against Jake Paul, Tyron Woodley was given a choice. He could get the “I love Jake Paul” tattoo he had agreed to in a pre-fight bet with Paul, and in so doing he could earn a rematch with Paul, or he could refuse and Paul would move on. Ultimately, “The Chosen One” got his ink only to have Paul opt for a fight with Tommy Fury instead while the MMA world lamented Woodley’s decision to cave to the YouTubers demands. Well, it appears that it’s Woodley who will be having the last laugh after all. On Monday, Fury was forced out of his Dec. 18th boxing match with Paul and now Woodley will be stepping in to take his place on short notice. It’s another opportunity for Woodley to secure a big payday in his post-UFC career and it’s one that has Daniel Cormier, one of the most vocal opponents to Woodley getting the tattoo, admitting he may have been wrong. “I have been a number of things in my life, a lot of good things, a lot of bad things, but the one thing I am not is a hater,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “At times, when this whole Tyron Woodley and Jake Paul thing was going on I may have come off as a bit of a hater because I didn’t want T-Wood to get the tattoo, I didn’t like the way the rematch was asked for, but guess what? It actually worked. And I’ve got to be honest, I can’t say I would be happier for anyone more than I am for Tyron right now, because he felt that he won the last fight and then, obviously he didn’t get the decision, and it felt like them kids were playing him. “It felt like Jake Paul and his brother were gonna play Tyron, telling him he had to get a tattoo, Logan Paul saying, ‘Hey man, you had your chance.’ It felt like they were trying to play T-Wood, but honestly, Tyron did what he had to do, which even if you don’t agree with it, obviously there was some good favor with him getting the tattoo because otherwise they would’ve looked for someone else. I still have my same opinions on the tattoo but that don’t really matter right now because T-Wood gets the rematch.... “Everything’s out there for T-Wood. It’s out there for T-Wood to go and get it done right now and honestly, I couldn’t be happier for him. When a person has to go through what he went through, the ridicule from all his friends, family, everyone, all of us, people who he considered his friends for a long time were judging him harshly, saying he was foolish to do what he did. He stayed the course, he believed in himself, he believed in what could happen potentially for him, and now he finds himself right on the cusp of another massive payday.” Massive payday is right. Heading into their first fight, Woodley was open in saying he the bout would be the biggest payday of his career and this time, Paul has added an additional incentive, a $500,000 bonus if Woodley can knock him out. In their first contest, Woodley had the most impactful moment of the fight when he rocked Paul with a big punch that nearly sent the Disney Channel star through the ropes, but Paul managed to keep his feet and Woodley never came particularly close to a stoppage again, instead, getting outworked at distance for much of the fight. That inactivity has been a recurring theme for much of Woodley’s career and with the rematch less than two weeks away, Cormier says the former UFC welterweight champion needs to find a way to get over it, quickly. “Now, this is one where T-Wood has to just go fight,” Cormier said. “T-Wood has to just go fight. He hurt Jake Paul in the first fight and that is the one thing he has built his case for the rematch on. ‘I had you, the ropes saved you!’ But now you’ve got to actually go put it on the dude. You can not go and stand in front of him anymore. You felt what he had, you know that you can hurt him, it’s a matter of Tyron going out there and implementing his game plan.” Paul and Woodley will face each other for the second time in a 192-pound catchweight affair on Dec. 18 in Tampa, Fla. TOP STORIES Secured the bag. Jake Paul to rematch Tyron Woodley following Tommy Fury withdrawal. Out. Tommy Fury announces reason for withdrawal from Jake Paul fight. Beef. Jake Paul trashes Tommy Fury as an ‘embarrassment’ for pulling out of their fight: ‘They’re just a bunch of b*tches’. Oof. Rashad Evans returns from retirement, Tyrone Spong vs. ‘Bigfoot’ Silva headlines Eagle FC debut card in U.S. Options. John Kavanagh names preferred foes for Conor McGregor’s return: Nate Diaz trilogy ‘gives me nightmares’. VIDEO STEW The MMA Hour. Embedded. Best UFC finishes from November. Amanda Nunes Bonus Resume. Dan Ige- UFC 269. Doctor breaks down Tommy Fury’s injury. LISTEN UP Jack Slack. Discussing Jose Aldo’s greatness and Sergio Pettis’ comeback. The Co-Main Event. Previewing UFC 269 and talking about Jose Aldo. SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE Jake Paul. Tommy Fury has pulled out of the fight due to a “medical condition” and Tyron Woodley is stepping in for December 18th for the official rematch. pic.twitter.com/t1OFVQQBBt— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) December 6, 2021 Tyron Woodley. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tyron Woodley (@twooodley) Call out. March in London let's do it bro King vs King @TheNotoriousMMA he ran away like his brother @NateDiaz209 209 ⚰️— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) December 6, 2021 Jon Jones giving back. pic.twitter.com/FSB2VfVAeh— BONY (@JonnyBones) December 6, 2021 Training. ⚔️ @darrentill2 and @Leon_edwardsmma putting in the work together.Love to see it pic.twitter.com/pu0zxqMkJ0— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) December 6, 2021 Как дела, парни?! 130 боев на двоих из них около 40 в UFC @ufc @AndreiArlovski How are you guys?! 130 fights for two, about 40 of them in the UFC @UFCRussia #mma #ufc #arlovski #oleynik #etfmg #warrior #sport #мма #орловский #олейник #мма #спорт pic.twitter.com/YMDKi7J6xC— Alexey Oleynik (@oleynikufc) December 6, 2021 FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS Caio Borralho (10-1, 1 NC) vs. Jamie Pickett (12-6); UFC Fight Night, Jan. 15. Tyrone Spong (2-0) vs. Antonio Silva (19-13); Eagle FC, Jan. 28. Jessica Eye (15-10) vs. Manon Fiorot (8-1); UFC Fight Night, Mar. 5. Amanda Ribas (11-2) vs. Michelle Waterson (18-9); UFC Fight Night, Mar. 26. FINAL THOUGHTS Thanks for reading and see y’all tomorrow. EXIT POLL If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @JedKMeshew on Twitter and let him know about it. Also follow MMAFighting on Instagram and like us on Facebook.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Raquel Pennington will still get one last fight in before the end of the year. Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed to MMA Fighting that Pennington will face Macy Chiasson at UFC Vegas 45, which takes place Dec. 18 at the APEX and will serve as the promotion’s final event of 2021. Chiasson steps in to replace Julia Avila who was forced to withdraw from her scheduled matchup with Pennington due to a knee injury. Since her first pro loss to Lina Lansberg in September 2019, Chiasson has only competed twice for a variety of reasons. The Fortis MMA standout bounced back with unanimous decision wins over Shanna Young and Marion Reneau over her those two appearances. The No. 10 ranked fighter in MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings was scheduled to face Aspen Ladd on two different occasions in 2021, with Chiasson suffering an injury that forced her to withdraw from their July matchup, while Ladd missed weight ahead of their October bout forcing it to be removed from the card. Pennington, No. 6 on MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings, has also won two straight, including a unanimous decision victory over Pannie Kianzad at UFC Vegas 37 in September. UFC Vegas 45 will be headlined by a heavyweight matchup between Derrick Lewis and Chris Daukaus.

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC One of Texas’ most populous cities is becoming a regular hub for UFC action. Sources on Monday confirmed to MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck and Guilherme Cruz that the UFC is returning to Houston for UFC 271 on Feb. 12, 2022. Such a move would mark the third time since May that Houston hosted a UFC pay-per-view event. MMA Junkie first reported the news. The UFC has yet to make an official announcement about details of UFC 271’s location, however both recent trips to Houston for UFC 262 and UFC 265 took place inside the city’s Toyota Center. Although a main event has yet to be finalized for the card, the long-awaited rematch between UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and former titleholder Robert Whittaker has been tentatively tied to the event. Adesanya famously defeated Whittaker via second-round knockout in October 2019 at UFC 243 to become the undisputed UFC middleweight king. Other matchups linked to UFC 271 include lightweights Renato Moicano vs. Alexander Hernandez and Mark Madsen vs. Vinc Pichel, as well as the retirement bout of women’s MMA pioneer Roxanne Modafferi against flyweight prospect Casey O’Neill.

Jessica Eye | Esther Lin, MMA Fighting A surging flyweight contender will get herself a step up in competition to kick off her 2022 campaign. Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed to MMA Fighting that a matchup between Jessica Eye and Manon Fiorot is slated for the UFC’s event on March 5, which currently does not have a location or venue announced. MMA Junkie was first to report the booking. Eye — currently tied for the No. 15 spot in MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings — looks to get back on track as she enters the bout on the heels of a three-fight losing streak. The one-time flyweight title challenger has dropped unanimous decisions to Jennifer Maia, Joanne Wood, and Cynthia Calvillo during her current skid. Fiorot is 3-0 in her octagon tenure, which includes stoppage wins over Victoria Leonardo and Tabatha Ricci. In her most recent appearance, the 31-year-old and former UAE Warriors champ defeated Mayra Bueno Silva via unanimous decision.