The highly-anticipated debut of former light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones as a heavyweight fighter is set to take place on March 4th, 2023 at UFC 285. Jones will compete against former interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight title in the main event.
With 11 successful title defenses inside the octagon, Jones has established himself as one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time. No one has been able to find a way to defeat him yet.
Throughout his career, Jones has defeated a wide range of top-level opponents, including elite strikers like Lyoto Machida, Olympic-level wrestlers like Daniel Cormier, and skilled boxers like Alexander Gustafsson. He has also defeated big names such as Rampage Jackson and Chael Sonnen
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However, there's one loss on Jones' record which came against Matt Hamill. The fight was halted due to Jones throwing illegal elbows in the first round. Despite having the upper hand up until that point, the judges ruled in favor of Hamill.
Jon Jones is widely recognized for his highly-publicized and intense rivalry with former light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier. The pair clashed twice in the octagon, with Jones emerging victorious on both occasions.
Jones' most recent fight was against Dominick Reyes, which was also his toughest challenge to date. Despite Jon Jones' victory, many experts and fans felt that Reyes deserved the win. With a remarkable record of 26 wins, 1 loss, and 1 no-contest, Jones has established himself as one of the greatest fighters in the history of MMA.
The complex legacy of Jon Jones
At the tender age of 23, Jon "Bones" Jones made history by becoming the youngest-ever light heavyweight champion in the UFC, a feat that signaled the start of what many believed would be a dominant and unparalleled career in the sport of mixed martial arts. With his incredible skills, Jones appeared unstoppable and seemed to have the world at his feet.
However, Jon Jones' journey since then has been far from smooth, as he has faced a series of both thrilling victories and major controversies outside the octagon.
On January 6, 2015, Jon Jones made headlines for the wrong reasons after being found guilty of failing a pre-fight drug test ahead of his highly-anticipated bout against Daniel Cormier at UFC 182.
Despite making strides in turning his life around and becoming a more responsible professional outside the cage, Jon Jones was once again caught up in controversy in 2019 when he was charged with battery over an alleged incident involving a cocktail waitress.
The waitress claimed that Jones had choked and touched her inappropriately. Jones entered a plea of no contest to all charges in September of that year. As part of his sentence, he was required to avoid any further legal trouble, refrain from drug and alcohol use, and stay away from the scene of the incident for 90 days.