Jon Jones hints at sharpening his elbow strikes for his UFC return: "Right timing seems to come naturally"

Jon Jones does not tend to reveal much information before his fights but may have just hinted at focusing on a different aspect of his game. Ahead of his forecasted return fight against Stipe Miocic, 'Bones' let fans know on social media that he is dedicated to working on his elbow strikes in the clinch and at distance.

The UFC heavyweight champion tweeted that he is looking around for his first pair of elbow pads, which he claims he has never used before in training. Jones said the thought of using elbow pads had never come before but is now on his mind ahead of his return to the Octagon.

Jones tweeted:

"I'm sitting here getting ready to order my first elbow pads. It's funny all these years I've never trained with elbow pads. I just practiced elbows on the mitts and heavy bag. I never actually throw elbows when I'm sparring, yet somehow the right timing seems to come naturally on fight night."

Jones did not directly state that he is focusing on his elbow game for the fight camp with Miocic but heavily implied so while asking for pad recommendations from the public. Throughout his time as the UFC light heavyweight champion, Jones was known for his brutal timing with his elbow strikes in all aspects of the fight but specifically in his ground-and-pound attack.

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Jon Jones' negative history with elbows

For as effective as Jon Jones has been in his career in utilizing his elbows, those strikes are also the cause of the singular "loss" in his career. In the 10th fight of his professional career, Jones took on veteran Matt Hamill and dominated the former collegiate wrestler on the ground before being disqualified for illegal 12-6 elbows.

Though his 29-fight career, the disqualification still stands as the lone blemish on his record even with the strike being removed as an illegal move in 2024. Both Jones and UFC CEO Dana White have said that they believe the new ruling should overturn his loss to Hamill.

The 12-6 elbow strike will become a legal strike in November, roughly around the time that Jones is rumored to headline UFC 309 against Stipe Miocic in Madison Square Garden. It is unclear if Jon Jones intends on inserting the move back into his arsenal should he gain top position in the fight.