In the Ultimate Fight Championship (UFC), only strong, tactical and fearless fighters make it to the top. So, for lack of money to take care of his then pregnant girlfriend, Jon Jones used the aforementioned qualities, innate in him. He called in to train at a mixed martial arts (MMA) gym, had his first fight after a few months, and followed it up with subsequent fights that all ended in wins. He is now a two-time UFC light heavyweight champion.
Although his story is mostly portrayed today in a negative light, he still had good and great times in the past. Here we are going to tell you about the good, the not so good and the worst part of his life, so read on.
Jon Jones’ Biography (Age)
Jon Jones, who you can also call Bones (pseudo) or Jonathan Dwight Jones (full name) was born on July 19, 1987 in Rochester (New York, United States) into a Christian family led by Arthur Jones Jr., pastor at the Pentecostal Church of Endicott (New York) and his wife Camille Jones who was a nurse. Sadly, Camille lost her life in a battle with diabetes in June 2017.
Growing up, Jon Jones played American football, like his brothers, but wrestling took a prominent place in his professional life. He became a state wrestling champion at Union Endicott High School in upstate New York. After high school, he began his college education and was still active in sports. Jon won the JUCO National Championship at Lowa Central Community College, showing telltale signs of his athleticism.
He transferred to Morrisville State College to pursue a degree in criminal justice, but would drop out to pursue a career in MMA after discovering that it was in combat sports that his true interests lay. Jon Jones started fighting in MMA to raise money to take care of his pregnant girlfriend at the time, as his UFC profile stated.
In MMA he started out as a pro with 6 undefeated records in 3 months having made his debut in April 2008. He was so good that UFC noticed him almost instantly and offered him a fight as a replacement just two weeks before. the duel of July 2008.
He fought Andre Gusmão at UFC 87 and won via unanimous decision after posting unorthodox dismissals and punching patterns unheard of in the sport. Jon has fought the likes of Stephan Bonnar at UFC 94, Jake O’Brien at UFC 100, Brandon Vera at UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones, former IFL Light Heavyweight Champion at UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko, defeated by TKO . with elbows in 1:52 seconds of the first round. He also beat Ryan Bader at UFC 126 in a fight where Ryan dominated in the first round but saw him face his first professional loss in the second round following a guillotine sprain from the furious Jon Jones.
Bones became the youngest UFC champion after defeating Maurício “Shogun” Rua at UFC 128 in Round 3. He had his first title defense against Quinton Jackson at UFC 135 after recovering from a back injury. hand. The fight ended in victory for him and he described her as his favorite.
The fearless fighter defends his title against Lyoto Machida at UFC 140, Rashad Evans at UFC 145, Vitor Belfort at UFC 152, Chael Sonnen at UFC 159, after which he had a draw against Tito Ortiz for the most consecutive title defense in UFC history. He successfully defended his title against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165, UFC 172 where he fought with Glover Teixeira and was unanimously voted out. Even when he fought Daniel Cormier at UFC 178, he still outplayed him, but little did he know that fight would be the start of his woes.
A month before UFC 178, Jon Jones failed a drug test as he tested positive for cocaine. On April 2015, precisely on the 28th, Jon Jones was stripped of his UFC Light Heavyweight title, stripped from the official rankings, and permanently suspended from the sport due to a hit-and-run incident in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which had left an injured pregnant woman in one of the two cars involved in the accident. The witness was an off-duty police officer who clearly identified the UFC fighter. Documents found in the rented car also clearly bore his name. Inside the car was also an envelope of marijuana. The once feared fighter has been charged with a felony for intentionally injuring and abandoning the injured person. Around this time, he explained the events of that night and everything that was going through his head. mainly the fear of being charged by the police for drunk driving.
He made a return to combat sports at UFC214 on July 29, 2017, where he defeated former Olympian Daniel Cormier to regain his long-awaited UFC Light Heavyweight Championship belt. But for a drug infraction in the positive test for Turinabol; A substance banned by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), he was again stripped of the title. If the charges turn out to be true, he could be suspended for up to 4 years. This, of course, should mark the end of his career judging by his current age.
Net value
One of the best fighters in the UFC, Jon Jones’ net worth doesn’t negate the popular guess. He has a net worth of $10 million.
wife and family
Jon Jones has two siblings who also took up lesser sports in combat. His older brother is Arthur Jones III who in his prime played American football with the Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts and Washington Redskins as his career progressed and deteriorated. Chandler Jones is the youngest of the trio and is signed to the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals. He had a sister named Carmen, who died of brain cancer at a very young age.
Jon Jones stayed with the woman he started fighting his whole life. He met Jessie Moses when he was in high school and they started dating immediately, they stayed in college despite being in different colleges. While Jon was briefly at Iowa Central Community College, Moses attended Broome Community College in New York.
Their relationship saw the birth of 3 daughters; Leah was born in 2008, Carmen was born in 2009, and Olivia Haven was born in 2013. In an interview he gave on December 1, 2016, Jon Jones revealed that he has another daughter who is older than his first daughter. However, the details of his mother are not yet known.
Jon got engaged to Jessie in 2015 and on April 1, 2015, he broke the news on his Twitter account. However, following the issues that have been wrecking him lately, probably if he’s self-inflicted, he hasn’t been talked about much lately when it comes to marrying her.
Height and other facts
- Jon Jones stands at a height of 6 feet 3 inches or 1.93m.
- He holds the record for the first Nike-sponsored MMA fighter internationally.
- Another of his nicknames is “Sexual Chocolate”
- In 2011, at age 23, Jones became the youngest champion in UFC history.
- He has the biblical passage Philippians 4:13 tattooed on the right side of his chest. The passage says, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”