Jon Jones Says He's 'Preparing to Fight' Stipe Miocic at UFC 282 on December 10

Jon Jones is once again teasing to his UFC return.

The former light heavyweight champion tweeted Tuesday that he's preparing to fight Stipe Miocic at December's UFC 282 pay-per-view.

Just moments after Jones made his intentions known on social media, the UFC announced Jiří Procházka vs. Glover Teixeira would headline December's event, which takes Jones vs. Miocic off the table for now.

Jones has not fought since defeating Dominick Reyes by unanimous decision at UFC 247 in February 2020. He vacated the light heavyweight championship that August amid a contractual dispute with the UFC and a desire to transition into the heavyweight division.

There have been several starts and stops to Jones' inevitable UFC comeback, ones largely involving money and his own legal issues. In September 2021, Jones was arrested on domestic violence charges in Las Vegas after allegedly assaulting his fianceè. Those charges were later dropped as part of a plea agreement, but Jones vowed to stop drinking alcohol in the aftermath of the incident.

UFC President Dana White has been teasing a return since the summer, saying Miocic or Francis Ngannou would be Jones' next opponent.

“Jon Jones is ready to go,” White said on The Jim Rome Show. “We’re just waiting for an opponent. It’s either going to be Francis Ngannou, depending on how long his knee is going to take to recover or Stipe Miocic.”

Ngannou has been out of commission since suffering a knee injury in January's win over Ciryl Gane. He is also in the midst of a contract dispute with the UFC, so Miocic may be a more realistic opponent for Jones' return.

Miocic has not been in the Octagon since losing the UFC heavyweight championship to Ngannou in March 2021.