Jon Jones is enjoying his time in Thailand as he coaches the Russian equivalent of The Ultimate Fighter … maybe a little too much.
Jones pulled another swerve on fight fans earlier this week when it was revealed that the UFC heavyweight champion would train a team on the Alf Reality MMA show opposite Nate Diaz. The two are now spending the next month in Thailand filming the show, which previously featured Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan as coaches.
All this would be a cool development if Jones didn’t have more pressing business like defending his belt. “Bones” last defended the title against Stipe Miocic back in November 2024, six months ago. Waiting in the wings is interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, and it’s starting to look like any fight between the two won’t go down until the end of the year … if it happens at all.
Waiting for things to ‘play out’ seems to be the UFC fan’s lot in 2025, as there’s no sense of urgency anywhere in the promotion across any of the divisions.
On the plus side, Jones seems like he’s giving the cameras a show. Alf Reality MMA seems more than happy to show the full spectrum of Russian MMA, warts and all. Last season we saw Aljamain Sterling get choked unconscious by his own teammate. Who knows what craziness “Bones” will get up to in Thailand? The first video clip we have shows a squinty eyed Jones riding on the back of a scooter, bunching up the rider’s hair so he can grip it like handlebars.
We have good reason to worry about Jones drinking and the chaos that can ensue if he’s enjoying himself a bit too much. Add in reality TV show enablers looking to create viral television and it all seems like a recipe for another scandal that could push UFC to strip Jones again — which would be the fourth time they’ve done it, and the fifth time he’s dropped a belt outside the cage.
