Jon Jones loves proving the haters wrong.
Despite being nothing short of dominant throughout his entire UFC career, ‘Bones’ has remained one of MMA’s most contentious figures, largely due to his countless run-ins with the law, domestic abuse allegations, and drug and PED use.
But through all of it, Jones has managed to keep his “undefeated” record intact, though even that is a sore subject for some fight fans.
During his legendary light heavyweight run, Jones’ victories over Alexander Gustafsson, Thiago Santos, and Dominick Reyes were all met with a heavy dose of skepticism. The last one was so egregious that it caused Jones to abandon the division altogether and disappear for three years before emerging from the shadows as a heavyweight.
But through it all, Jones has taken the criticism in stride, using it as a way to motivate himself for whatever comes next.
“I’ve tasted defeat in the ring in the moments when my fights have come, been close… when you have a whole fan base of people swearing up and down I lost certain fights, it definitely motivates me to make the next fight that much more dominant,” Jones told Geoffrey Woo.
“If you catch me on an off day, know that when I’m back you will see me at my absolute best. I think success is one of the greatest revenge you can have against your naysayers.”
Jon Jones’ GOAT status affords him special treatment in the UFC
Claiming the heavyweight title in March 2023, Jones has only defended his crown once, defeating former two-time titleholder Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 in Madison Square Garden.
Long before that fight went down, fans were already clamoring for a clash between Jones and interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. Realistically, it’s a fight that nobody should have to lobby for. When you have two titleholders in a single division, they inevitably fight. It’s always been that way, but Jones is special.
And with his special status comes special privileges, like keeping a belt despite dodging a fight with the more-than-game interim champ.
In truth, Jones probably should have been stripped of the gold while taking a year off to recover from a pectoral injury. Obviously, getting injured wasn’t part of his plan, but if both Jiri Prochazka and Jamahal Hill were relieved of their duties as light heavyweight champions due to injuries, why wasn’t Jones given the same treatment?
That’s a subject for another article, but the answer isn’t too hard to find.
