Published On: Mon, Mar 23rd, 2026

With astronaut off table, UFC London winner Mason Jones living dream

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.

Coupled with the four Cage Warriors wins, his three straight in the UFC give him seven in a row. And the bonus he knew he'd get with Sola was his second straight after a Performance of the Night for his win over Oki this past September.

Jones seemed to be in his element, bloodied-up and mangled face and all.

"This is a dream for me," he said. "I've only ever wanted to fight since I was a kid. I wanted to be an astronaut at one point and found out I was color blind at like 8 or so. Fighting was the hard No. 2. … You may not believe it yet, but I'm going to be champion one day, and I'm going to be No. 1, so keep watching."

Check out Jones' post-fight interview in the video below.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: With astronaut off table, UFC London winner Mason Jones living dream


Most Popular Posts

Categories