Mason Jones: Day in the life of a UFC fighter
Mason Jones has expressed his desire to demonstrate his capabilities in front of a home crowd when he faces French fighter Axel Sola in London on Saturday, 21 March.
The Welsh athlete suffered a unanimous decision loss to Ludovit Klein at the O2 Arena in July 2023, marking his most recent defeat.
Following that, Jones returned to Cage Warriors, securing four consecutive victories before signing a new contract with the UFC in February 2025.
Heading into the third fight of his second UFC contract, 'The Dragon' aims to overcome the challenges from that previous loss, which Jones acknowledges involved him making multiple errors.
"I fought a tough guy and made so many mistakes. I'm super excited to go there and reframe it and show that London is a homecoming for me."
The 30-year-old is enthusiastic about competing on home soil after his last two UFC bouts took place in the United States and France.
"It's going to be a massive change for me," he said.
"I fought a Des Moines local in Des Moines, so I was massively away there, then fought a Belgian guy in Paris.
It'll be nice to hear the crowd for me for a change."
Jones hopes that a victory will position him to challenge a top 15 lightweight contender.
"When I signed back to the UFC, I said three foundational fights, to secure my footings in the UFC, then I'll get a top 15.
If I beat Axel Sola on March 21, I'll be calling for a top 15 opponent.
If I don't get one, I'll get an eliminator for the top 15."
He mentioned that the UFC has shown some interest in this prospect.
"They're interested in seeing me touch that top 15," he added.
"I'm happy to win points, to outpoint him for three five-minute rounds.
I'm always looking to finish with the excitement of putting him away, but if I can outpoint him I will.
If I finish him, they'll offer me a top 15 fight next fight."
If Jones secures a top 15 ranking, he would become only the second Welsh fighter to achieve this in the UFC, following Jack Shore, who reached the rankings after defeating Timur Valiev in March 2022.
Southpaw strategising
Axel Sola defeated Northern Ireland's Rhys McKee in Paris in September 2025 during his UFC debut, the same event where Jones secured a win over Oki.
The Blaenavon native is cautious about the challenge posed by Sola.
"Sola is a 6ft 2in (188cm) southpaw, very big and strong.
He started his career at welterweight, moved back to lightweight and he's had one win in the UFC."
Jones regards the Frenchman as a "super exciting" opponent.
"He's long, he's rangy, he's powerful, a very dangerous striker and wrestler.
We've worked on lots of specifics, I've been doing training camps in lots of different places.
I've been working specifically with southpaws for this camp, which means working with some of the youngsters coming through."
One of the training partners Jones has worked with is unbeaten boxer Kyran Jones, who holds a professional record of 13 wins.
The Welshman may appear on the fight card in Cardiff on 4 April, where Lauren Price will defend her WBA, WBC, IBF, IBO, and Ring Magazine World welterweight titles against Stephanie Pineiro Aquino.
'A lot of violence to be this peaceful'
Mason Jones is currently on a six-fight winning streak and holds a professional record of 17 wins, two losses, and one no-contest.
Regarding his fighting mindset, Jones is clear about his approach.
"There's three types of fighters," Jones said.
"Martial artists, the traditional who loves the spirit of it, my partner back home is that type.
Then there's the athlete who can just do it and perform, the Jon Jones type.
Then there's the figure who loves the violence. I'm the pure fighter, I'm ready for a fight 24/7.
For me it's just getting so that I can perform at 100% and make the finishes look spectacular.
One of the quotes I love is 'It takes a lot of violence to be this peaceful'. I'm in it because I love the violence of it."
When asked about his message to himself a year from now, Jones expressed strong ambition.
"You better be chipping away at the top 10, otherwise we've given up too much to not want to push.
I'm getting better all the time, stronger, fitter, I want it more, I'm wiser.
Everyone in this game wants it, but not everyone wants to put the work in.
I like to tell myself, either decrease what you want or increase how much you're willing to put in because you can't have it both ways.
You either have to want less or give more, I'm giving as much as it needs, I'll keep pushing."
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