Jon Jones is an American mixed martial artist and the current UFC Heavyweight Champion. He holds the record for the most title defenses, most wins, and longest win streak in the UFC light heavyweight division. Jones became the youngest champion in UFC history at the age of 23 and has been considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world during much of his championship reign. His only professional loss is a controversial disqualification against Matt Hamill, which Hamill and UFC President Dana White dispute. However, Jones has also been involved in several controversies throughout his career. He was stripped of his title and removed from the official rankings in 2015 after being arrested on felony hit-and-run charges. Jones also tested positive for banned substances during his returns to the UFC in 2016 and 2017, resulting in further suspensions and the reversal of his win against Daniel Cormier to a 'no contest'. After voluntarily vacating the title in 2020 amid a pay dispute with White, Jones returned to the UFC in 2023 after over three years off and defeated Ciryl Gane to become the UFC Heavyweight Champion.
Jon Jones is a highly successful American professional mixed martial artist, who has had a remarkable career in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a former two-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and the current UFC Heavyweight Champion. He has broken numerous records in the light heavyweight division, holding the title for an impressive 4 years. Despite several controversies that led to his title being stripped 3 times, Jones has made a successful comeback, winning titles and earning his way back to the top. Widely considered to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Jones has never been stopped nor outscored during his career, and his only professional loss is a controversial disqualification.
Jon Jones was born in Rochester, New York, on July 19, 1987, to Arthur Jones Jr. and Camille Jones in Rochester, New York in the United States. Jonathan Dwight Jones is his real name. His dad is a pastor at Mount Sinai Church of God in Christ in Binghamton, New York. His mother is no more. In 2017, she passed away at the age of 55 due to diabetes. He grew up in a family with 3 siblings - Chandler Jones, Arthur Jones, and Carmen Jones. His older brother, Arthur, is a former American football defensive lineman who played for the Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, and Washington Redskins, while his younger brother, Chandler, is an outside linebacker for the Las Vegas Raiders. His older sister, Carmen, passed away at the age of 17 due to brain cancer, which was a difficult time for Jones and his family. He holds American nationality and his ethnicity is multiracial i.e. African-American. His zodiac sign is Cancer as per his birthdate. As a child, Jones was raised in a Christian household and attended church regularly. He was also an active kid who participated in various sports such as football, wrestling, and track. In 2022, he celebrated his 35th birthday. Jones attended Union-Endicott High School, where he played football as a defensive lineman. He had a successful stint in high school football and helped his team win the state championship. Jones's passion for football continued in college, where he won a national JUCO championship at Iowa Central Community College. However, he later dropped out of Morrisville State College before completing his graduation to pursue his career in mixed martial arts.
Jon Jones started his professional MMA career in April 2008 and later won the USKBA Light Heavyweight Championship by defeating Moyses Gabin at BCX 5, finishing the fight with a second-round TKO before signing with the UFC. Jones made his UFC debut on August 9, 2008, taking the fight against Andre Gusmão on two weeks' notice as a late replacement for Tomasz Drwal, winning via unanimous decision. He secured his second UFC victory on January 31, 2009, against veteran Stephan Bonnar with multiple takedowns and back elbows, despite appearing fatigued in the third round. Jones won his third fight against Jake O'Brien at UFC 100 on July 11, 2009, controlling the match and securing a modified guillotine choke. He then signed a new four-fight contract with the UFC in September 2009. In his next fight, Jones dominated Matt Hamill with his wrestling but was disqualified for using illegal 12–6 elbows, although UFC president Dana White believed the result should have been a no-contest. Jones won his fifth fight against Brandon Vera on March 21, 2010, with a TKO in the first round that also broke Vera's face in three places, earning Jones the "Knockout of the Night" award. Jones defeated Vladimir Matyushenko with elbows in 1:52 of the first round at UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko on August 1, 2010. After the match, Dana White praised Jones and promised him a tougher opponent if he won. Jones then called for a top-three opponent and later revealed in an interview that he would face the winner of Antônio Rogério Nogueira vs. Ryan Bader. Jones was confirmed to face Bader, whom he defeated via submission with a guillotine choke in the second round at UFC 126 on February 5, 2011, earning him the "Submission of the Night" bonus.
Jon Jones replaced his injured teammate Rashad Evans in a title fight against UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, winning the championship in 2011 at UFC 128. Jones defended his title for the first time against Quinton Jackson at UFC 135, submitting him with a rear-naked choke in the fourth round. He then defeated Lyoto Machida at UFC 140, submitting him with a guillotine choke technical submission in the second round. At UFC 145, Jones won against Rashad Evans via unanimous decision. A bout with Dan Henderson was planned for UFC 151, but it was canceled when Henderson withdrew due to injuries. Jones was criticized for refusing to fight Chael Sonnen on short notice, and a rematch with Lyoto Machida was canceled after Machida rejected the fight due to a lack of training time. Jones instead defended his title against Vitor Belfort at UFC 152, winning via Americana submission in the fourth round, and tied Tito Ortiz's record for most consecutive title defenses in UFC light heavyweight history. Jones also broke his left big toe during the fight. Jones defeated Chael Sonnen via TKO in the first round at UFC 159, tying Ortiz's record for most consecutive light heavyweight title defenses.
In April 2014, UFC President Dana White confirmed that Jon Jones would have a rematch against Gustafsson. However, the fight was on hold due to Jones preferring to fight Daniel Cormier. Eventually, the Jones vs Gustafsson rematch was confirmed for September 27, 2014, but Gustafsson had to pull out due to an injury. Jones was then expected to fight his replacement, Daniel Cormier, at UFC 178, but he withdrew due to a leg injury. The fight was rescheduled and took place on January 3, 2015, with Jones winning by unanimous decision. However, it was later revealed that Jones had failed a drug test one month before the event. In April 2015, Jones was suspended from the UFC indefinitely due to a hit-and-run incident. He was reinstated in October 2015, and in April 2016, Jones defeated Ovince Saint Preux. In July 2016, Jones was removed from a rematch with Cormier due to a potential doping violation, and in November, he was suspended for one year by USADA. Jones returned to the octagon in July 2017 and defeated Cormier, but he was later flagged for a potential doping violation and stripped of his Light Heavyweight Championship. In September 2018, USADA announced that Jones would serve a suspension of 15 months for a doping violation.
Jon Jones returned to UFC in 2018 and won the vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship in a rematch with Alexander Gustafsson. He defended the title twice against Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos but faced controversy in his win against Dominick Reyes in 2020. Jones then vacated the title due to a disagreement with UFC President Dana White over pay and expressed his desire to move up to heavyweight for a potential fight with Francis Ngannou. Jones returned to the octagon after three years and won the vacant UFC Heavyweight Championship by defeating Ciryl Gane via guillotine choke submission in the first round at UFC 285 on March 4, 2023. He also earned the Performance of the Night bonus award.
Jon Jones is a professional mixed martial artist signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), widely considered one of the most successful fighters in UFC history. He has earned approximately $14,300,000 from his UFC career and has an estimated net worth of $10 million as of 2023. His main source of wealth comes from fighting as a mixed martial artist. His highest payout to date is said to be for his rematch with Daniel Cormier at UFC 217, which was approximately $1,830,000. Jones is also the first MMA fighter to have his shoe line and was sponsored by Nike at the international level, along with endorsements from Gatorade, Reebok, MuscleTech, and Gat Supplements.
Jones has been involved in various pay-per-view bouts, with a total of 7,122,000 buys and an average of 547,846 buys. He earned the most for his rematch with Cormier, UFC 214, where he earned $860,000. Jones has also shown his philanthropic side, raising money for The Pediatric Cancer Foundation and distributing essential items like clothes to homeless people. He announced a donation of $100,000 to the first light heavyweight to win six championships in a row. Apart from his career and philanthropic work, Jones also owns luxurious cars and houses. He owns a Nissan Armada, a Cadillac CTS-V, and a Bentley Continental GT. He previously owned a lavish house in Ithaca, New York, which he listed for sale at $750,000. He has since moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Jon Jones is single at a moment and he is fully focused on his career as of now. Previously, he was engaged to Jessie Moses, with whom he had been in a long-term relationship since their high school days. The couple got engaged during Easter of 2013, but the details of their wedding have not been confirmed yet. They have three daughters together, Leah (b. 2008), Carmen Nicole (b. 2009), and Olivia Haven (b. 2013). Carmen Nicole was named after Jones’s sister who passed away due to brain cancer. The couple's relationship has stood the test of time even after Jones transferred to Iowa Central Community College, and they have remained supportive of each other throughout their journey. Sadly, the duo split. Jon Jones says that his now-former fiancee has finalized the end of their relationship. Jon Jones is back in the headlines again, and he took to Twitter on Feb. 23 to state that he and Jessie Moses, Jones’s former fiancee, are officially split. Jones deleted the tweet not long after. Jones’s now-deleted tweet left a mixed reaction, with some praising Moses’s leave, while others wished Jones the best and prays he gets the help he needs.
In 2012, Jones briefly dated Jenna Jameson, who is an American entrepreneur and former adult film actress. However, their relationship was short-lived, and Jones went back to being in a committed relationship with Moses. Despite being a famous athlete, Jones has kept his personal life private and does not reveal much about his relationships in the public domain.
Jon Jones, the MMA champion, is known for his towering height and athletic body build. He stands at a height of 6 feet 4 inches or 1.93 meters and weighs around 205 lbs or 93 kg. He has black hair and black eyes, with a snub nose type and distinctive features such as thick lips and thick eyebrows. His reach is measured at 84.5 inches or 215 cm. Jones follows an intense training regime to maintain his physical strength and endurance before any fight. His trainer, Mike Winkeljohn, has revealed that they focus on basic striking classes, footwork, pad work, grappling, and swimming during their training sessions. Jones has also been known to train at an altitude of 9,000 feet.
Apart from his intense training, Jones also maintains a healthy diet plan with a lot of proteins to help him prepare for his fights. He has hired a food specialist to manage his diet, which includes chicken, turkey, buffalo/bison, steak, salmon, eggs, and greens such as kale, broccoli, spinach, and arugula. He also includes black rice, sweet potato pancakes, and oatmeal in his diet plan. Jones is disciplined about his diet and training, which has contributed to his success as an MMA fighter. He has got a healthy body at present.
Jon Jones, who is now a household name in the world of mixed martial arts, began his UFC journey as an underdog. Despite his undefeated record heading into his debut, many experts and bookmakers didn't give him much chance against the highly-touted Andre Gusmao. However, Jones proved his doubters wrong by putting on a dominant performance and securing a victory in his UFC debut. This win not only established Jones as a legitimate contender in the sport but also set the stage for his future success in the UFC. The story of Jon Jones serves as a reminder that even the most accomplished and revered fighters were once considered underdogs. Jones' rise from an unknown prospect to one of the greatest fighters of all time is a testament to the power of hard work and dedication. It also serves as an inspiration to anyone who feels like an underdog in their pursuits, reminding us that with the right mindset and preparation, anyone can achieve greatness.
Following his suspension from the UFC in 2017, Jon Jones found a new passion in powerlifting. Known for his impressive strength and athleticism in MMA, Jones quickly took to the sport, dedicating himself to building strength and power in the gym. Despite facing setbacks and challenges during his suspension, Jones remained focused on his training, using powerlifting as a way to stay disciplined and motivated. His dedication to powerlifting not only helped him stay in top physical shape but also provided him with a new outlet to channel his competitive spirit. By pushing himself to new limits in the gym, Jones was able to overcome adversity and come back stronger than ever. Today, he is considered one of the most dominant fighters in UFC history and continues to inspire fans with his incredible work ethic and commitment to excellence.
Jon Jones is a pioneer in many ways, and one of his groundbreaking achievements was becoming the first-ever MMA fighter to be sponsored by Nike. This was a major milestone for both Jones and the sport of MMA as it signaled a new level of acceptance and mainstream recognition. With his unique look and charismatic personality, Jones quickly became a fan favorite and helped to elevate the sport to new heights. The sponsorship deal with Nike was a significant moment in Jones' career, cementing his status as one of the biggest stars in MMA. It also opened doors for other fighters to secure major sponsorships with mainstream brands, further legitimizing the sport and showcasing the incredible athleticism and skill of MMA fighters. Jones' impact on the sport extends far beyond his impressive record and title reigns, and his legacy as a trailblazer will always be remembered.
Jon Jones' physical attributes are often highlighted as a significant factor in his success in the UFC. With a height of 6'4" and a reach of 84.5 inches, Jones has the longest reach in the UFC. He is able to use his length advantage to his benefit by attacking his opponents from a distance, and his last four opponents have had a significant reach disadvantage when fighting against him. Additionally, Jones' impressive wrestling skills make it difficult for opponents to take him down, making it necessary for them to stand with him where his reach advantage can come into play. In a specific example, when Jones fought Dan Henderson, he had a 13.5-inch reach advantage over Henderson's reach of only 71 inches. This reach advantage forced Henderson to think twice about standing with Jones and absorbing damage while trying to close the distance to land his big right hand, which many believed was his only chance of winning the fight.
Jon Jones' decision to quit college and pursue his dream of becoming an MMA fighter was a bold and risky move. Despite the potential for success in academia, Jones knew that his true passion lay in the world of combat sports. He made the difficult decision to leave college and dedicate himself fully to his training, knowing that the road ahead would be tough. Jones' determination and perseverance paid off when he signed with the UFC just 12 weeks after his MMA debut. His rapid rise to stardom in the world of MMA is a testament to his incredible work ethic and talent. Today, Jon Jones is considered one of the greatest fighters of all time, with a legacy that will continue to inspire future generations of athletes. His decision to pursue his dreams, despite the odds, serves as a reminder that anything is possible with hard work and dedication.