Tag: Jon Jones

Jon Anik: Jon Jones already pushed himself beyond likes of undefeated Floyd Mayweather

Jon Anik argues that Jon Jones has surpassed other undefeated greats in combat sports.

[autotag]Jon Anik[/autotag] argues that [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] has surpassed other undefeated greats in combat sports.

UFC heavyweight champion Jones has one blemish on his professional MMA record – a disqualification loss to Matt Hamill in a fight he was dominating. Jones, a former longtime UFC light heavyweight champion, has now also defended his heavyweight title when he finished Stipe Miocic by Round 3 TKO at UFC 309.

Although the likes of Joe Calzaghe and [autotag]Floyd Mayweather[/autotag] finished their careers undefeated, Anik thinks Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) has tested himself more than the boxing greats.

“I think, with respect to Joe Calzaghe and Floyd Mayweather, that Jon Jones has already pushed himself beyond those guys,” Anik told MMA Junkie. “Even if people want to denigrate the Stipe win because it happened at 42 years of age, I don’t think there really is anything left for Jon Jones to accomplish. But there is financial gain to be had.”

Jones is currently receiving criticism for being unwilling to fight interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. Jones argues that Aspinall adds nothing to his legacy, and Anik thinks money is the only thing Jones can gain from a risky fight against the Brit.

“What he wants like that $30-40-50 million dollar payday, which he so deserves at this time because in heavyweight MMA, anything can happen,” Anik said. “And certainly, in light heavyweight MMA anything can happen, but the consequences are so great when it comes to four-ounce gloves that these guys chuck.”

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Mike Perry duets with Yoel Romero, $25K Roshambo and Jon Jones: Dirty Boxing Championship behind the scenes

From Mike Perry singing with Yoel Romero to Jon Jones overseeing $25,000 Roshambo bets, a lot was going on between knockouts in Florida.

[autotag]Jon Jone[/autotag]s, [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag] and [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] walk into a bar…

OK, so they didn’t walk into a bar, but while you’re imagining the wild scenarios that hypothetical situation would produce, those three unique personalities popularized in MMA were all present for the inaugural Dirty Boxing Championship at an “undisclosed location” in Florida.

Perry’s new fight promotion brings a unique set of boxing rules that allows for MMA elements such as ground-and-pound and elbows. The fights produced a number of wild finishes, including Romero’s devastating knockout in the main event.

Perhaps more interesting than what happened inside the custom Dirty Boxing Championship ring, is what went down behind the scenes. The private event’s guest list featured a number of familiar faces, including UFC heavyweight champ Jones, Paige VanZant, and many others.

In a behind-the-scenes video of the event, Perry was seen singing Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” with Romero, Jones oversaw a $25,000 Roshambo battle, and of course, video of the knockouts inside the ring along with the aftermath of the winning and losing sides.

Check out the video above.

Francis Ngannou responds to Jon Jones with clever call out for ‘the right fight’

While Jon Jones deals with his “haters,” Francis Ngannou took the opportunity to make another call out.

[autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] and [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] may never actually cross paths inside the cage, but that hasn’t “The Predator” from hyping up the fantasy match.

PFL heavyweight superfights champ Ngannou (18-3) was once in a position to be able to face Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) when they were both in the UFC. Unfortunately, during Jones’ three-year transition from light heavyweight to heavyweight, Ngannou left the promotion to join the PFL after he could not come to terms on a new deal with the UFC.

Although they are now under different promotions and the UFC is unwilling to cross-promote, Ngannou and Jones have continued to discuss the potential fight, most famously during an impromptu faceoff last year at a PFL event in Atlanta.

Jones, the current UFC heavyweight champion, is coming off his first title defense at UFC 309, where he stopped Stipe Miocic. Leading into the fight and coming out of it, Jones has been labeled a “duck” for being dismissive of interim champion Tom Aspinall.

“Crazy how being called a ‘duck’ pays better than most of you Internet tough guys will make in a lifetime,” Jones wrote on X (formerly Twitter). Two fights in four years and still one of the biggest names in the sport? that’s not ducking, that’s winning. God’s blessings hit different, stay mad.”

Ngannou took the opportunity to reply to Jones’ message with a clever call out, keeping the conversation of the fantasy fight between the two alive.

“Blessings make haters uncomfortable, but they can’t change it,” Ngannou wrote on X. “There’s only one fight, the right fight that will multiply your blessings. #NgannouVSJones”

PFL execs Donn Davis and Peter Murray have often spoken supportively about a potential cross promotion fight between Ngannou and Jones, urging the UFC to play ball. UFC CEO Dana White has shut it down the idea, reiterating that business is not conducted in that manner for the Las Vegas-based promotion.

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Chael Sonnen: ‘It’s basically retire or fight Tom Aspinall’ for Jon Jones

Chael Sonnen is confident Jon Jones fights Tom Aspinall.

[autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] is confident [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] fights [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag].

Heavyweight champion Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) continued to dismiss interim champion Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) after he retained his belt with a TKO of Stipe Miocic at UFC 309.

Jones provided a positive update about his fighting future, but with Aspinall still the interim champion, Sonnen says that can only mean one thing.

“The UFC isn’t without leverage here,” Sonnen said on “Good Guy/Bad Guy” with Daniel Cormier. “If they’ve kept the belt around Tom, it’s to let Jon know, ‘It’s no problem to pull that one off your waist. We’ve got another one sitting right over here. We’ve got world champions – they’re real easy to make over here at the UFC.'”

UFC CEO Dana White shut down Jones’ ambition to fight light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, which gives Sonnen even more confidence that it’s Aspinall or bust for Jones – even though Jones isn’t sold on fighting Aspinall.

“I’ll let you know what UFC stands – Jon has two choices: You fight Tom or you do not fight,” Sonnen said. “There is nobody else is going to be offered. In fact, we’ve got a name that came off the board (of possibilities) in terms of Alex Pereira.

“Dana put that to absolute rest, and when the oddsmakers put it as a 6-to-1 spread favoring Jones, that fight is gone. So Jon can sit out and not fight – that’s true. But he’s not going to be in a spot where he could fight someone else. It’s basically retire, (or) it’s fight Tom Aspinall.”

Jones recently posted a series of tweets in which he addressed the potential circumstances if he decides to retire. He continued to stick by his words of an Aspinall fight not adding anything to his legacy.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DC8ZzqmxTp5/?img_index=1

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Jon Jones fact-checked by Community Notes after claiming to be oldest current UFC champion

After claiming to be the oldest current UFC champion, Jon Jones was slapped with a Community Note on X. That honor belongs to Alex Pereira.

[autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] may have sparked all sorts of valid debates about pound-for-pound rankings and legacy after beating Stipe Miocic at UFC 309, but one thing will always remain true: facts are facts.

Jones, 37, returned to the octagon on Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York for his second heavyweight title fight and soundly defeated former champion Miocic, 42, by third-round TKO.

Age was a hot topic going into the fight, considering Jones was publicly (and still is) opposed to fighting Tom Aspinall, 31, who holds and has defended the interim title in the division. Oddsmakers, pundits and fans expected Jones to roll over a past-his-prime Miocic, and that’s exactly what happened.

Coming out of the fight, Jones has kept age at the forefront of discussion, but now, he’s using it in his favor – or at least attempting to.

“In 2011, I became the youngest champion in UFC history,” Jones wrote on X. “Today, I’m proud to stand as the oldest champion on the roster.. Age is just a number when your mind and spirit stay sharp.”

The first sentence of Jones’ tweet is factual. He became the youngest UFC champion in history by defeating Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 128 when he was 23.

However, the second sentence is not, and Jones became a victim of the infamous Community Notes on X, which serves as a means to fact check claims on the platform.

Jones is younger than current UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, coincidentally, the same person who could end up being Jones’ next opponent if the UFC decides to throw all meaning of an interim title out of the window.

Jones was born on July 19, 1987. Pereira was born on July 7 of the same year, making “Poatan” 12 days older than “Bones.”

Whether it was a miscalculation or an oversight, Jones got hit facts incorrect on this one. Even if the difference is less than two weeks, the numbers are what they are.

To Jones’ credit, the overall theme of the message is truly impressive.

Inside the cage, Jones has created an amazing pro career that began in 2008. He fought six times that year on the regional scene and made his UFC debut in his seventh fight at UFC 87 in August. He became the youngest UFC champion, won a title in a second division at 35, and largely appears to be the same dominant force.

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Quinton Jackson figured Stipe Miocic ‘would be a tougher challenge’ for Jon Jones than Tom Aspinall

“Rampage” expected Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic to be a more competitive fight.

[autotag]Quinton Jackson[/autotag] expected [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] to be a more competitive fight.

Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) retained his heavyweight title with a lopsided performance that ended with a devastating third-round TKO finish of Miocic by spinning back kick in the UFC 309 headliner. Miocic was widely considered the greatest heavyweight of all time, but the more than three-year layoff appeared to play a factor in his sluggish performance.

“Rampage” went as far as saying that he thought Miocic (20-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) would prove to be a sterner test for Jones than interim heavyweight champion [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC), who averages the shortest fight time in UFC history.

“I feel like Jon Jones’ last performance, I don’t even think any heavyweight could beat Jon Jones,” Jackson said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “I think he solidified himself as one of the greatest fighters on the planet and no disrespect to Aspinall. I think Aspinall is a great fighter. I’m a fan of his, as well, but I figured Stipe would be a tougher challenge than Aspinall. I was thinking it on paper. I think Jon Jones is the Neo of MMA. He’s Neo.”

Jackson knows first hand how good Jones is. He challenged Jones for the light heavyweight title at UFC 135 in September 2011 but was submitted in the fourth round. Jackson explained what gives Jones the edge in every fight.

“The reason Jon Jones has been so successful in MMA and has been dominating for so long is because his mind is so strong,” Jackson said. “I’ve been in the cage with that kid. I heavily underestimated him, and I have been watching his fights ever since, and I see the stuff that he does. He is doing stuff that nobody does. Nobody was doing spinning elbows. … Just the way he controls the octagon, his mind is really strong, and I’ve been telling people for years MMA is 95 percent mental.”

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Jon Anik confident Jon Jones will fight Tom Aspinall – and predicts when

UFC play-by-play man Jon Anik is going off “informed speculation” with his prediction of when and where to expect Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall.

Heading into UFC 309, heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] was hesitant to commit to competing beyond his title fight with Stipe Miocic. Coming out of UFC 309, Jones has sung a different tune, and that has UFC play-by-play commentator [autotag]Jon Anik[/autotag] feeling quite optimistic about the matchup the masses are clamoring for.

And which matchup would that be? A title unification bout with interim champ [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag], of course.

“I have no inside information. I truly don’t. You can call it informed speculation. … But I do believe that fight is going to happen, and I think what was most telling was just the way Jon Jones handled his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan,” Anik said in an interview with MMA Junkie Radio. “And then I talked to him after the fact in the back for ESPN, and I was like, ‘Are we getting three or four more of these things, or what?’ He was going into the Stipe fight with a fight-by-fight mentality, and he sounded like the furthest thing from retirement with Rogan after the fact. So that’s very encouraging.”

Before Jones dismantled Miocic for a third-round TKO win at UFC 309, he spent fight week having to explain why, if he didn’t retire, he preferred a showdown with light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira over Aspinall, but Anik doesn’t see that materializing.

“This is the fight,” Anik said. “Even though Jon Jones isn’t the natural heavyweight in body that Tom Aspinall is, he’s not going to fight Alex Pereira right now. He’s going to fight Tom Aspinall.”

As far as Anik is concerned, Jones vs. Aspinall is all but a lock to happen – provided Jones gets his wish in terms of compensation. What Jones wants exactly isn’t clear, although he described it as “f*ck you money” after UFC 309.

If negotiations between Jones and the UFC go well, then Anik expects the fight to take place during the biggest week on the calendar next year.

“It just comes down to what Jon Jones’ number is,” Anik said. “What is Jon Jones’ net worth? What number is he looking for? Is it 25 million (dollars) to show? You know, what is Michael Jordan worth? What is the greatest of all time worth? I feel like the company is in a great position to make this fight, and I think you’ve got to do Las Vegas. You’ve got to do International Fight Week 2025.”

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Overreaction Time: On Conor McGregor’s new low, Jon Jones’ pound-for-pound status, more!

Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” on Conor McGregor losing his sexual assault civil trial and much more.

The time for overreacting is here!

Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” at noon ET/9 a.m. PT as host Simon Samano and MMA Junkie Radio host Brian “Goze” Garcia debate these “overreactions” on the following topics in mixed martial arts:

  • [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] is a disgrace to MMA.
  • There’s no way [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] should be No. 1 pound-for-pound.
  • [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] vs.[autotag] Petr Yan next?[/autotag] It’s not crazy!
  • [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] better make a statement at UFC 311.
  • [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag]? Get the f*** out of here!

Watch the full episode in the video above.

One highlight and photo from every Jon Jones UFC fight

Jon Jones’ career is as decorated as they come, with wins over various legends, UFC Hall of Famers and top contenders.

[autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag]’ UFC career has been marred by long layoffs caused by suspensions due to a number of legal run-ins and positive tests for performance-enhancing drugs, but that hasn’t stopped many from calling him the greatest mixed martial artist of all time.

Since making his professional debut in 2008, Jones is 28-1 with one no contest and his lone defeat a December 2009 disqualification due to illegal elbows in a fight he was dominating. He’s perhaps the most naturally gifted fighter to ever grace the cage, and his resume is as decorated as they come, with victories against various legends, UFC Hall of Famers and top contenders across two generations of light heavyweights. He’s also won the UFC heavyweight championship.

You can check out one highlight and one photo from each of his 23 UFC bouts below.

Brandon Gibson: Jon Jones ‘has solved a lot more complex problems’ than Tom Aspinall

Brandon Gibson is confident in how Jon Jones matches up against Tom Aspinall.

[autotag]Brandon Gibson[/autotag] is confident in how [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] matches up against [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag].

Gibson, UFC heavyweight champion Jones’ (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) striking coach, has no doubt that his star student has the tools to beat interim champ Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC).

Jones isn’t sold on Aspinall being a beneficial fight for his legacy, but if the matchup were to materialize, Gibson expects Jones’ experience to play a big factor as well.

“Aspinall’s a great interim champ. He’s had a great heavyweight career so far,” Gibson told Inside Fighting. “I think there’s still a lot of unknowns, which could be a benefit to Tom, but also a lot of those unknowns could be a big benefit to us. Like, how is he going to do in deep water? How is he going to do in later rounds?

“There’ll probably be a lot of pressure on him to try to start fast. So with all that said, we have respect for all of these great opponents and champions, but I think Jon has solved a lot more complex problems, and I think just Jon’s mixed martial arts game, his IQ, his pace, his strength would all land in our favor and Jon victorious once again.”

Jones is fresh off his first title defense at heavyweight, a Round 3 TKO of Stipe Miocic less than two weeks ago in the UFC 309 main event. Meanwhile, Aspinall defended his interim title with a first-round TKO of Curtis Blayes in the UFC 304 headliner in July.

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