Jon Jones

This article is about the mixed-martial artist. For other uses, see Jon Jones (disambiguation).

Jon Jones
Jones in 2014
BornJonathan Dwight Jones[1]
(1987-07-19) July 19, 1987 (age 37)[2]
Rochester, New York, U.S.[3]
NicknameBones
ResidenceAlbuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.[4]
Height6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight238 lb (108 kg; 17 st 0 lb)
Division
Reach84+1⁄2 in (215 cm)[6]
Fighting out ofAlbuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.[3]
Team
Rank
WrestlingNJCAA Wrestling[14]
Years active2008–present (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total30
Wins28
By knockout11
By submission7
By decision10
Losses1
By disqualification1
No contests1
Other information
UniversityIowa Central Community College[15]
Children4
Notable relatives
Notable school(s)Union-Endicott High School[17]
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Medal record
Collegiate Wrestling
Representing Iowa Central CC
NJCAA Championships
Gold medal – first place 2006 Rochester 197 lb

Jonathan Dwight Jones[1] (born July 19, 1987)[2] is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the current UFC Heavyweight Champion. A professional competitor since 2008, Jones was previously the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion from 2011 to 2015 and from 2018 to 2020, as well as the interim UFC Light Heavyweight Champion in 2016. As of November 19, 2024, he is #2 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings.[18] He is regarded as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time.[19]

Jones became the youngest champion in UFC history with his title victory over Maurício Rua at age 23.[20] He holds many UFC records in the light heavyweight division, including the most title defenses, most wins, and longest win streak. During much of his championship reign, Jones has been widely considered to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.[21] Never stopped nor outscored during his career, Jones's only professional loss is a controversial disqualification against Matt Hamill; a result disputed by Hamill and UFC president Dana White.[22]

Between 2015 and 2017, Jones was involved in several controversies and lost his title three times as a result of disciplinary action. He was first stripped of his title and removed from the official rankings by the UFC in 2015 after he was arrested on felony hit-and-run charges. His subsequent returns to the UFC in 2016 and 2017 saw him emerge victorious in title bouts against Ovince Saint Preux and Daniel Cormier, but were both cut short by Jones testing positive for banned substances and receiving further suspensions, with the latter reversed to a no contest.[23][24] After his 2017 suspension was lifted, Jones reclaimed the championship in 2018 by defeating Alexander Gustafsson.[25] He voluntarily vacated the title in 2020 and spent three years away from MMA before returning in 2023 to win the UFC Heavyweight Championship against Ciryl Gane.[31]

  1. ^ a b Cofield, Steve. "Jones interview: 'Guys Choice' awards show appearance on tap as the champ deals with highs and lows of stardom". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on May 23, 2011. Retrieved May 18, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c "Jon "Bones" Jones stats". Sherdog. Archived from the original on April 28, 2011. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
  3. ^ a b "Jonny "Bones" Jones Bio". JonnyBones.tv. Archived from the original on August 5, 2010. Retrieved April 8, 2011.
  4. ^ "Troubled Jon Jones finds a taker: Jackson's Acoma - Albuquerque Journal". Albuquerque Journal. November 11, 2021. Archived from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  5. ^ "Jon Jones stats". FightMagazine.com. Archived from the original on August 25, 2011. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
  6. ^ a b "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com. Archived from the original on June 21, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  7. ^ Chiappetta, Mike (March 16, 2011). "The Making of Jon Jones". mmafighting.com. Archived from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  8. ^ Marrocco, Steven (October 13, 2021). "Jon Jones asked to leave Jackson Wink MMA; coach asks him to 'stop drinking' but leaves open return". mmafighting.com. Archived from the original on May 28, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  9. ^ Lee, Alexander K. (November 7, 2021). "Jon Jones seeks new team, says he won't return to Jackson Wink". mmafighting.com. Archived from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  10. ^ Jones, Jon [@jonnybones] (November 11, 2021). "I want to sincerely thank gym owner/ coach Nick Urso and everyone at the original Jackson's MMA program for allowing me to call their dojo my new home base" – via Instagram.
  11. ^ King, Nolan (December 8, 2021). "Jon Jones sees two potential dates for UFC return, loves time spent with 'amazing' Henry Cejudo". MMAjunkie.com. Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  12. ^ "Fighter Scouting Report: Jon Jones". MMA Manifesto. Archived from the original on July 7, 2015. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  13. ^ "Jon Jones earns Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu purple belt ahead of title defense". FanSided. December 8, 2019. Archived from the original on April 6, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  14. ^ "WRESTLING NATIONAL CHAMPIONS" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 26, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  15. ^ Keefer, Case (March 15, 2011). "College career helped Jon Jones reach UFC pinnacle". Las Vegas Sun. Archived from the original on March 18, 2011. Retrieved April 8, 2011.
  16. ^ a b Cobert, Gregg (March 20, 2011). "Ravens DT Arthur Jones' Brother "Ali-esque"". BaltimoreSportsReport.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2011. Retrieved April 8, 2011.
  17. ^ Stevens, Kevin. "UFC title 'means everything' to Endicott's Jon 'Bones' Jones". Star-Gazette. Archived from the original on March 24, 2011. Retrieved April 8, 2011.
  18. ^ "UFC Rankings - The Official UFC App - UFC.com". www.ufc.com. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  19. ^
  20. ^ Iole, Kevin (March 20, 2011). "Jones steamrolls Rua, becomes youngest UFC champ". Sports.Yahoo.com. Archived from the original on May 18, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2011.
  21. ^
  22. ^
  23. ^ Raimondi, Marc (August 22, 2017). "Jon Jones failed drug test at UFC 214". mmafighting.com. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  24. ^ "Daniel Cormier reinstated as UFC light heavyweight champion". MMA Fighting. Archived from the original on March 4, 2023. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  25. ^ "UFC 239 results, highlights: Jon Jones outpoints Thiago Santos to retain light heavyweight title". CBSSports.com. July 7, 2019. Archived from the original on July 7, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  26. ^ "'Bones out': Jon Jones says he's vacating UFC title after spat with Dana White". MMA Junkie. May 31, 2020. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  27. ^ "Dana White says it's no lie: Jon Jones wants Deontay Wilder money for Francis Ngannou fight". MMA Junkie. June 1, 2020. Archived from the original on March 29, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  28. ^ "Jon Jones vacates UFC title: 'It's officially up for grabs'". MMA Junkie. August 17, 2020. Archived from the original on May 28, 2023. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  29. ^ Raimondi, Marc (March 5, 2023). "He's back: Jones submits Gane to win HW title". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  30. ^ "Jon Jones is two-weight UFC champion after demolishing Ciryl Gane in one round - BBC Sport". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on March 12, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  31. ^ [26][27][28][29][30]