Jon Jones

Bones

USA

New UFC Heavyweight Champion
HeavyweightUFC
March 4, 2023
Jones became the new UFC Heavyweight Champion on Saturday, defeating Ciryl Gane via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:04 of Round 1 at UFC 285 in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
With the win, Jones becomes the eighth multi-divisional champion in UFC history. "Bones" hadn't fought in nearly three years, but it felt like he never left. He easily powered Gane to the mat moments after the opening bell rang and quickly worked to a dominant position to clamp on the choke which ended the fight. It was that easy. Say what you want about Jones and his issues in his personal life and his actions outside the Octagon, but he's legitimately one of, if not the, greatest fighter of all time inside it. In his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Rogan mentioned a fight between Jones and former champion Stipe Miocic, who was in attendance for the event. Jones agreed enthusiastically. UFC 290 during International Fight Week in early-July seems like the targeted date. Early betting odds have Jones as a -200 favorite if the fight gets made. Jon absorbed zero damage in this one, so there seems to be no reason the bout can't be setup if all parties agree. In the meantime, he'll rightfully walk away with one of three $50,000 Performance of the Night bonuses awarded on the evening.
Read More News
Fight Log
Loading Fight Log...
More Fantasy News
Will fight Gane on UFC 285
HeavyweightUFC
January 14, 2023
Jones will face Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight title at UFC 285 on March 4 in Paradise, Nev., Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
After a three-year absence from the Octagon, Jones will make his much-awaited return to competition while making the jump up from the light-heavyweight ranks. With the heavyweight title becoming vacant after the UFC and Francis Ngannou couldn't come to terms on a new deal, Jones will get a chance to vie for a title in his return to the Octagon.
Inching closer to return?
HeavyweightUFC
June 28, 2022
UFC President Dana White told talk radio host Jim Rome that Jones is "ready to go" and intends to either book him for a heavyweight fight against Francis Ngannou or Stipe Miocic (via Damon Martin of MMAFighting.com).
ANALYSIS
This coincides with reports from earlier this week that Francis Ngannou was going to attend UFC 276 in Las Vegas, where he would discuss his future plans with White. It's been over two years since Jones has seen the Octagon, as he last defended his light heavyweight championship with a very narrow decision against Dominick Reyes back in February of 2020. He's since vacated that belt and announced his intention to move to heavyweight, though some additional legal troubles seem to have sidetracked his return. Jones will turn 35 years of age July 19, so there's still plenty of window to make an impact in a division that often sees fighters continue, even successfully, into the twilight of their careers. For perspective, Ngannou is also 35 years old, while Miocic will turn 40 in August.
Arrested Friday
HeavyweightUFC
September 24, 2021
Jones was arrested Friday morning in Las Vegas on charges of domestic violence and injuring/tampering with a vehicle, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Not much information has been released about the incident, but Jones is set to make an initial court appearance Saturday. Jones has a few bails set for the damages and continues to struggle with run-ins with the law.
Will challenge for heavyweight belt
HeavyweightUFC
February 13, 2021
Dana White confirmed Friday that Jones will challenge for the title in his first fight in the heavyweight division, Farah Hannoun of MMA Junkie reports.
ANALYSIS
Jones vacated his UFC light heavyweight belt in August with the goal of pursuing a run at the heavyweight level instead. The 33-year-old has been undergoing an intense body transformation to bulk up for a potential fight and will officially face the winner of the Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou rematch at UFC 260 on March. 27. Jones hasn't fought in over a year but will likely re-enter the octagon sometime over the summer for his first test as a heavyweight competitor.
Move to heavyweight official
HeavyweightUFC
August 18, 2020
Jones has officially relinquished his light heavyweight belt and informed the UFC of his intent to pursue a run at heavyweight.
ANALYSIS
This is something that Jones had been musing via his personal Twitter account all week, but the UFC confirmed the news via their official account late Tuesday evening. This coincides with another announcement that an upcoming matchup between Dominick Reyes and Jan Blachowicz will take place at UFC 253 on September 26 to crown a new light heavyweight champion, though that specific event will be headlined by a middleweight title fight between Israel Adesanya and Paulo Costa. Meanwhile, Jones may not have an official heavyweight debut booked, but sportsbooks have been indicating multiple possibilities for quite some time. Jones is currently listed as a (-150) betting favorite against current champion and presumed GOAT Stipe Miocic, while another matchup against dangerous contended Francis Ngannou pegs Bones as a (+110) betting underdog.