Jon Jones’s Profile: MMA Superstar, Troubled Dude

Find out about famous MMA fighter Jon “Bones” Jones

Hate him or love him, Jon “Bones” Jones is arguably the greatest MMA fighter ever. He’s beaten everyone that’s ever stepped to him and he ruled the light-heavyweight division with an iron fist.

Jones is the youngest world champion in UFC history. He won the light-heavyweight title twice, and holds the longest undefeated streak in the UFC.

Despite being the most controversial UFC fighter ever outside the octagon, Jones has always proved himself in it. He holds some of the company’s most iconic records and wins over notable contenders.

Jones is currently making a move to heavyweight. Let’s look at the highlights of his storied career.

Jon Jones’s Early Life

Jonathan Dwight Jones was born in Rochester, New York on July 19th, 1987. Jones’s father was a pastor and his brothers became NFL players. His dad wanted to follow in his footsteps. But Jones had other ambitions due to the rising popularity of MMA. Being renowned for his wrestling, Jones started the craft back in high school.

Jon Jones’s Career

Jon Jones’s Amateur Career

Jones doesn’t have an acclaimed amateur wrestling career. He carried on practising it during college and won a bunch of accolades for his efforts. Jones didn’t complete his university degree however, as he wanted to take his skills to MMA. He would eventually join the Jackson Wink MMA Academy, which he’d represent throughout his career. Over there, he built up his BJJ and striking to compliment his wrestling.

Jon Jones’s Pro Career

Jones turned pro at the age of 20 and started fighting in local promotions. His fight IQ was off the charts. He utilised his 84.5-inch reach (one of the longest in MMA) to cleverly out-strike his opponents. Jones won five of his first six fights via knockouts. He was picked up by the UFC due to his undefeated record of 6-0 at such a young age.

Jones’s first UFC fight was against André Gusmão. Despite taking the fight on a two weeks’ notice, he dominated Gusmão with his superior striking and take-downs. He won the fight via a unanimous decision. His next fight was quite a step up in competition. He was to face TUF runner up and MMA veteran Stephan Bonnar. Jones threw Bonnar around to win another unanimous decision.

Jon Jones Loss

Jones then faced fellow youngster Jake O’ Brien, who was in his second LHW fight. He submitted O’ Brien in the second round after total domination. However, he was about to encounter one of the biggest blunders of his career. Jones faced Matt Hamill, a rising light-heavyweight contender. The match happened and Jones dominated him completely.

It took Jones less than a round to get Hamill in a position where he could finish him. However, Jones made a mistake and delivered a bunch of 12-6 strikes, which are illegal in MMA. The referee who initially deducted a point from Jon ruled the fight as a loss for him when Hamill couldn’t continue. Everybody admits this should’ve been ruled a no-contest, including Matt Hamill himself.

Jon Jones’s Superstardom

Jones then faced future ONE Heavyweight champion Brandon Vera. He absolutely destroyed Vera, breaking his face in three places. His next fight was against Vladimir Matyushenko. Matyushenko had a wrestling style and was a veteran of the game, along with a former IFL LHW champion. However, it took Jones less than two minutes to stop the Russian with his vicious elbows.

He was then paired up against the TUF 8 winner Ryan Bader. Bader was undefeated and would become a Bellator double champion in the future. However, Jones put a dent in Bader’s record by choking him out in the second round. This and an injury to the number one title contender Rashad Evans led to Jones becoming the title challenger. The champion was the legendary PRIDE veteran Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

The fight took place just two months later. Jones was able to neutralise Shogun early on with a knee. He then dominated the champion and finally TKO’d him in the third round. This made Jones the youngest world champion in UFC history at just 23 years old. Despite the troubles with his injured hand, Jones would make his first title defence in the same year. He was to face the larger Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

Despite the size, power, and weight advantage for Jackson, Jones was able to use his superb MMA knowledge for the win. While doing so, he became the first and only UFC fighter to submit Jackson. He then defended his belt against the dangerous Lyoto Machida. Machida put up a great fight but Jones was able to put him to sleep. In the process, Jones became the first ever fighter to submit the karate legend.

Jones finally squared off against UFC superstar and former champion Rashad Evans. Jones put forth a dominating performance for a UD win. He then defeated Vitor Belfort in a tough fight via submission. Jones defeated Chael Sonnen via TKO despite a broken toe. Alexander Gustafsson gave him his toughest ever fight that lasted all 5 rounds. The fight was very double-sided and was declared an instant classic.

His next challenger was Glover Texeira, a former BJJ world champion. Jones won by going the distance. His next fight was against Daniel Cormier, who’d become his sworn enemy. Cormier was an Olympic-level undefeated wrestler, famous for ankle-picking men twice his size. Plus, Jones was getting a lot of trouble for his life choices outside the Octagon. Still, he was able to win the fight via unanimous decision.

While still struggling with the law, he beat rising contender Ovince St. Preux with a decision. He then got suspended and stripped of his title after a positive test for PEDs against Daniel Cormier. Jones would return from the suspension to win back the belt from Alexander Gustaffson. He then made defences against Anthony Smith, Thiago Santos, and Dominick Reyes. Jones is now moving up to heavyweight.

Jon Jones Outside MMA

Jones is worth at least $10 million. He has held some of the finest sponsorships for athletes. He has become the first MMA fighter to be sponsored by Nike and Gatorade. Jones is pretty active on social media as well. He likes to showcase his training regiments to the fans or just talk trash to other fighters.