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Jon Jones is widely regarded as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time. Part of his success is owed to his tremendous wrestling skills, which have enabled him to outwrestle virtually every opponent with whom he has shared the octagon. Even an Olympic wrestler of Daniel Cormier's caliber failed to stop him.
However, what some fans may be surprised to know is that 'Bones' has, in fact, been outwrestled in the past, and by a former WWE star, no less. Not only did it happen once, but it happened twice, and it all took place during Jones' high school years when he took on none other than Matt Riddle.
Riddle was a well-regarded wrestler during his youth and briefly parlayed his experience into a run as an MMA fighter. In his younger years, he attended Saratoga Springs High School, with whom he became a New York state wrestling champion.
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It was during one of these state wrestling championships that he beat Jon Jones, who represented Union-Endicott High School. Unfortunately, the two men ended up having wildly different paths in MMA. While Riddle was once signed to the UFC, he achieved nothing of note.
He was released from the promotion in disgrace after failing a second positive drug test for marijuana. Meanwhile, Jones has gone on to build a legacy that has led to most in the MMA community praising him as the GOAT of the sport and is currently scheduled to defend his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic.
Meanwhile, Matt Riddle was recently released by WWE during one of the pro-wrestling promotion's large layoffs.
Will Jon Jones retire after fighting Stipe Miocic?
Despite fans clamoring to watch him fight the likes of Tom Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich, Jon Jones initially claimed that he would retire after facing Stipe Miocic. Now, with the bout set for UFC 295, fans wonder if he would go through with his plans. Unfortunately, that appears to be the case.
Jones has shown no indication of fighting beyond the pay-per-view and has repeatedly claimed that no other heavyweight has a large enough name, besides Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou, to draw his attention. Any other opponent would be, in his words, an unnecessary risk with diminishing returns.
