The tale of Jon Jones in the UFC encaptures the highest high a fighter can attain and inevitably falls from grace as well. Undoubtedly, Jones has witnessed everything in his career, including tough fights against his idols and rivals like Daniel Cormier. The 37-year-old martial artist still holds the record for the most title fight appearances and wins in UFC.
Moreover, he continues to be the youngest UFC champion, having victories over the who’s who in his era. Now, after making the jump to the heavyweight division, Jon Jones looked back on his career. His reign in the light-heavyweight division was the most dominant in the division’s history. Now, Jones spilled the beans on his most defining fight, and it shockingly did not include Cormier.
The defining moment in my career I would say would be when I beat Stephan Bonnar. I believe that was my second fight in the UFC. Which was a pretty big increase to go to Stephan Bonnar after Andre Gusmao. Stephan was in the Ultimate Fighter finale. He was very famous him and Forrest Griffin had a legendary fight that brought up tons of new fans for the UFC… So I had to deal with a lot of doubt in my surroundings.
Jon Jones via ESPN MMA Exclusive Interview YouTube
Jones has shared the octagon with many famous UFC champions in his career. It included the late UFC icon Stephan Bonnar, who helped mold MMA in America. Bonnar served as the true litmus test for newcomers to test their skills against. A victory over this marquee name served as a huge step towards a world title, something Jones realized soon after.
Bonnar retired from MMA in 2014 and unfortunately passed away in 2022 at the young age of 45. The Hall of Famer left behind an everlasting memory that champions like Jones continue to cherish to this day. Jones, in this interview, also touched on bitter rivals, who helped him mold his career. He credited three important figures who pushed him to his limits, enabling him to become a better fighter.
Wars with Daniel Cormier elevated Jon Jones
Speaking with ESPN MMA, ahead of the fight week for UFC 309, Jones was quizzed about his arch-rivals in MMA. Touching upon the subject matter, the heavyweight champion named three key mixed martial artists who elevated his game. This list included Rashad Evans, Alexander Gustafsson, and Daniel Cormier.
He stated that wars with all three men were important career challenges. It served as a great source of motivation to improve his game, and his story simply would not have been the same without them. Jones believes facing these important challenges to becoming UFC’s most accomplished champion was a necessary hurdle. ‘Bones’ had something special to say about his arch-rival.
Daniel Cormier is another fighter who molded my career in a way. I don’t think my story would be the same without him. Yeah, we took a lot of years off of each other’s lives; I feel like we also elevated each other as competitors and athletes forever.
Jon Jones via ESPN MMA exclusive Interview YouTube
Now, the mixed martial artist is en route to facing yet another tough challenge at UFC 309. Jones’s career hasn’t been a smooth ride toward the top in any way, shape, or form. The MMA fighter has faced his fair share of hiccups that almost tarnished his legacy. Looking beyond those bumps on the road, Jones seems quite certain about his future and hopes to build a super-fight with another UFC champion.
