Jon Jones says he's done 'almost zero weightlifting' for Daniel Cormier rematch

LOS ANGELES -- Bulked-up Jon Jones, we hardly knew ye.

The fighter regarded by many as the best pound-for-pound competitor in all of mixed martial arts spent much his year on the sidelines powerlifting, the results of which were seen when he returned to competition and faced Ovince Saint Preux at UFC 197.

Jones was absolutely shredded for the fight, and he bullied his opponent for much of the bout. But Jones also lacked the trademark speed and explosiveness that has marked so many of his greatest moments, as he went on to a unanimous decision victory.

So Jones has decided it's time to go back to his bread and butter as he meets Daniel Cormier for the UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 200 in Las Vegas.

Appearing at a recent media event in downtown Los Angeles, Jones appeared slim downed from earlier in the year, and it wasn't a coincidence.

"For this training camp I've done almost zero weightlifting whatsoever," Jones told reporters.

While Jones felt strong and healthy going into the OSP fight, he couldn't deny that something seemed a little off during the bout.

"In my last fight, it definitely played a factor in me being conservative and conserving the way I used my energy," Jones said. "I felt like I was in good shape, my lungs were strong, but I felt like my muscle endurance maybe wasn't in the right place."

Jones says that if the changes aren't yet apparent to fans, they will be by the time July 9 rolls around.

"I've actually been focusing in burning off muscle by doing overloading on endurance. I think you'll be able to tell in the weigh-ins and during the fight that I'll look a lot more like the way I used to look, a lot less bulky. My endurance feels amazing," Jones said.