With astronaut off table, UFC London winner Mason Jones living dream
In his second stint in the UFC, Mason Jones is on a tear – including back-to-back post-fight bonuses.
Mason Jones met the media Saturday after his win over Axel Sola at UFC Fight Night 270. Jones (18-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) and Sola (11-1-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) went to that proverbial MMA "war" to close out the prelims at The O2 in London. Their Fight of the Night winner was worth an extra $100,000 each, but it was Jones who took the unanimous decision.
Afterward, Jones, a former Cage Warriors welterweight champion now in his second stint in the UFC, said he needed his rough 1-2 first run in the promotion so that he could be on better footing now that he's back again. "My first tenure, I never felt secure in my foundations," Jones told the UFC after his win over Sola. "I never felt like I truly deserved to be here, and I could never really secure that win.
This time, I've beat body after body. I beat a veteran in Jeremy Stephens, I beat Bolaji Oki, and then I just beat Axel Sola. I proved I deserve to get a bonus again.
"… I think I've more than made up for my first run, and I think I deserve a number next to my name and a top-15 shot. " Jones parted ways with the UFC after a 2022 loss to Ludovit Klein. He returned to Cage Warriors and won four straight fights, including three by knockout, and that got him the invitation back to the UFC.