Age, Biography and Wiki
Jon Jones, born on July 19, 1987, is an American mixed martial artist. He rose to fame as one of the youngest champions in UFC history. Jones' career has been marked by numerous records and accolades, including being the youngest UFC champion at 23 years old.
| Occupation | Martial Artist |
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| Date of Birth | 19 July 1987 |
| Age | 37 Years |
| Birth Place | Rochester, New York, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Cancer |
| Country | U.S |
Height, Weight & Measurements
Jones stands at an impressive 6 feet 4 inches (193 cm) tall and has competed at both light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions. His weight typically ranges depending on his fight schedule, but he weighs around 250 lbs (113 kg) for heavyweight bouts.
On December 5, 2009, Jones fought fellow light heavyweight prospect Matt Hamill at The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale. Jones used his wrestling to dominate Hamill, dislocating Hamill's shoulder with a takedown, and battering him with strikes. However, Jones would be disqualified for the use of illegal 12–6 elbows. The Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts prohibited downward elbow strikes, and Jones was initially only penalized a point from the round. However, Hamill was unable to continue due to his dislocated shoulder. Consequently, the replay simulation was reviewed, and showed that Jones's elbows further damaged Hamill's already bloody and lacerated nose. This marked the first time that Nevada has used its recently enacted instant replay rule, in which the referee's decision was supported by the commission, which utilized a slow-motion replay to review the elbows. UFC president Dana White was aggrieved that referee Steve Mazagatti ruled the bout as a disqualification, which resulted in a loss for Jones, saying that it should have been a no contest. In 2019, White said he was still attempting to have the result overturned to a no contest by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
While on the sidelines, Jones fought retired MMA veteran Dan Henderson in a grappling match for the Submission Underground 2 tournament on December 10, 2016. After an even start, Jones eventually submitted Henderson with an arm-triangle choke six minutes into the bout. Following the fight, Jones expressed interest in competing against Chael Sonnen.
After being called out by some MMA fans at the Europa Games expo in October 2016, Jones decided to take part in the NAGA no-gi grappling tournament. In his first match, he faced Don Daubert, a BJJ purple belt, and finished him with a guillotine choke. In his next match, he defeated Rich O’Toole, a BJJ brown belt, with a leg-in guillotine neck crank shoulder choke—a variation of the guillotine choke that O’Toole says Jones himself dubbed "The Williams Whirl."
After a measured start by both fighters, Jones quickly shot under Henderson’s defense with a slick "superduck" just after the halfway point. Jones remained active on top, constantly searching for options, eventually advancing to mount and securing an arm-triangle choke. Once locked in, Jones shifted his body weight, and Henderson was forced to tap with just over a minute left in regulation.
Jones later said in an interview, "I realize that I do it. I realize the criticism that I got from it. It's not on purpose. If you watch my fights, it's me extending my arm in a reactionary way. I do put a hand on people's foreheads to maintain distance. That's what you saw [against] Teixeira, but to say I am purposely poking people in the eye, it's just inaccurate." In 2017, the Unified Rules were amended to prohibit extension of a fighter's fingers towards the eyes of an opponent.
On July 21, 2019, it was reported that Jones had been charged with battery for an alleged incident in April 2019 involving a cocktail waitress at a strip club in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The waitress claimed that Jones slapped her, put her in a choke hold and kissed her on the neck, and touched her after she had asked him to stop. The bench trial of the case was held on September 26, 2019, where Jones pleaded no contest to the charges and received a 90-day deferred sentence whereby he must avoid arrest, not violate the law, consume no alcohol or drugs and not return to the scene. He was also ordered to pay court fees during his unsupervised probation period, as per the court document.
| Height | 6 feet 4 inches |
| Weight | 238 lb |
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Dating & Relationship Status
Jon Jones is known to be in a relationship with his fiancée, Jessie Moses. The couple has three children together.
His father Arthur is a pastor at Mount Sinai Church of God in Christ in Binghamton, New York. Arthur discouraged Jon's fighting career, "I wanted him to preach. I tried to discourage him from being a fighter. I told him you don't want to do that. You can do other things. Be a pastor." Jon's mother, Camille, died in 2017 at the age of 55, after a long battle with diabetes.
In the early morning of May 19, 2012, Jones drove his Bentley Continental GT into a pole in Binghamton, New York. Jones was arrested for driving under the influence (DWI) and was bailed out by his mother. He pleaded guilty to DUI charges and was order to pay a $1,000 fine, install ignition interlocks on all of his vehicles, complete a victims impact class, and had his driver's license suspended for six months.
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Net Worth and Salary
Estimates of Jon Jones' net worth vary significantly. Some sources suggest it is around $3 million, while others estimate it to be between $15 million to $20 million. His fight earnings range from $5 to $10 million per bout, making him one of the highest-paid UFC fighters.
White soon confirmed that Jones would face the undefeated Ultimate Fighter winner Ryan Bader, on February 5, 2011, at UFC 126. Jones handed Bader his first professional loss by defeating him via submission due to a guillotine choke in the second round after dominating Bader in the first round. Jones was awarded the "Submission of the Night" bonus.
A rematch with Lyoto Machida was then announced for September 22, 2012, at UFC 152. Lyoto Machida, who was not contacted prior to the announcement, rejected the fight due to the lack of time to train before the bout. Jones, instead, defended the championship against Vitor Belfort on September 22, 2012, at UFC 152. Jones opened as a massive favorite (13-to-1) coming into the bout. Despite almost being submitted via armbar in round one, Jones successfully defended the belt against Belfort via Americana submission in round four, and equaled Chuck Liddell's number of title defenses. Jones also won a $65,000 Submission of the Night bonus for his finish of Belfort.
Jones faced Alexander Gustafsson on September 21, 2013, at UFC 165. Jones was badly cut above the eye during the first round, but he won the back-and-forth fight via unanimous decision (48–47, 48–47, and 49–46). After the match, Jones said Gustafsson gave him the toughest fight of his career, and both were sent to the hospital for their injuries. Both men suffered lacerations and facial swelling, but were released from the hospital with no broken bones or serious injuries. The bout earned both fighters the Fight of the Night bonus award. The match received numerous positive reviews: "an epic battle", "instant-classic", "Fight of the Year", "Greatest light heavyweight title fight of all-time", "one of the greatest fights in UFC history". On March 8, 2020, it was announced that the fight will be inducted to UFC Hall of Fame's Fight Wing on July 9.
On April 27, 2014, UFC President Dana White confirmed that Jones would next have a rematch against Gustafsson, and stated the possibility of the match taking place in a stadium in Sweden on pay-per-view. On May 24, 2014, it was indicated that the rematch would take place in Las Vegas on August 30, 2014, at UFC 177. The statement, and the time and venue, was not official, however, because Gustafsson was the only one who still had agreed to accept the match. On June 2, the fight was still on hold, and White explained the situation as "Jones doesn't want to fight Gustafsson", and instead expressed his preference for fighting Daniel Cormier.
On June 5, 2014, the UFC confirmed that the Jones vs. Gustafsson rematch would take place on September 27, 2014, at UFC 178. However, Gustafsson had to pull out of the match due to a torn meniscus. Jones was then expected to take on replacement Daniel Cormier at UFC 178. On August 12, 2014, it was announced that Jones had sustained a leg injury in training, causing him to withdraw. The bout was rescheduled, and eventually took place on January 3, 2015, at UFC 182. Jones won the fight by unanimous decision (49–46, 49–46, and 49–46). He also became the first person to take Cormier down, scoring three takedowns in total. The win also earned Jones his fourth Fight of the Night bonus award. It was later revealed that Jones had failed a drug test one month prior to the event, as he tested positive for cocaine. (see below in )
The rematch with Daniel Cormier took place on July 29, 2017, at UFC 214 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Jones won the fight and re-captured the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship via knockout in the third round. After the fight, Jones was awarded a Performance of the Night bonus. After the fight, Jones praised Cormier as a "model champion", while recognizing his own personal failings. He then challenged Brock Lesnar to a fight.
After conflict with UFC President Dana White over pay in May 2020, Jones said he had vacated the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. Jones was targeting a fight with heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou and, according to White, wanted "Deontay Wilder money", referring to Wilder's reported $25–30 million earnings in his rematch with Tyson Fury held in February 2020. On August 15, 2020, Jones announced on social media that he would be relinquishing the Light Heavyweight Championship, as well expressing his desire to move up to heavyweight.
After over three years removed from his last bout, Jones faced Ciryl Gane for the vacant UFC Heavyweight Championship on March 4, 2023, at UFC 285. He won the bout and earned the title via a guillotine choke submission in the first round. After the fight, Jones earned the Performance of the Night bonus award.
After defeating Ciryl Gane at UFC 285, Jones stated his $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus will go towards community service in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Jones posted bail approximately twelve hours after his arrest and was due to be arraigned in court on October 26. Four days after his arrest, Jones posted an Instagram video of himself lifting weights, with the caption saying "I have way too much trauma to consume alcohol, my brain simply can't handle it anymore. I will leave alcohol in my past forever." Three weeks after the arrest, Jones was banned from entering Jackson Wink MMA gym by his coach, Mike Winkeljohn, where Jones had been training since 2009. On December 16, it was revealed that the domestic battery charge against Jones was dropped. As for the felony tampering with a police vehicle charge, Jones pleaded no contest and was ordered to pay $750 in restitution, attend anger management therapy, and was given a court order to stay out of any and all legal trouble.
Career, Business and Investments
Jones' career has been highlighted by his dominance in the UFC, where he holds multiple records. He began competing in 2008 and became the youngest UFC champion in 2011. His success includes wins over Ciryl Gane and Stipe Miocic, cementing his status as a top fighter. Beyond his fighting career, Jones has invested in real estate and secured various endorsement deals, contributing to his wealth.
* Never stopped nor outscored during his career, Jones's only professional loss is a controversial disqualification against Matt Hamill; a result disputed by Hamill and UFC president Dana White.
* Never stopped nor outscored during his career, Jones's only professional loss is a controversial disqualification against Matt Hamill; a result disputed by Hamill and UFC president Dana White.
* Never stopped nor outscored during his career, Jones's only professional loss is a controversial disqualification against Matt Hamill; a result disputed by Hamill and UFC president Dana White.
* Never stopped nor outscored during his career, Jones's only professional loss is a controversial disqualification against Matt Hamill; a result disputed by Hamill and UFC president Dana White.
* Never stopped nor outscored during his career, Jones's only professional loss is a controversial disqualification against Matt Hamill; a result disputed by Hamill and UFC president Dana White.
Before beginning his MMA career, Jones was a stand-out high school wrestler and state champion at Union-Endicott High School in Endicott, New York. He also played football as a defensive lineman; due to his slight frame, his coach nicknamed him "Bones". Jones won a NJCAA wrestling national championship at Iowa Central Community College. After transferring to Morrisville State College to study Criminal Justice, he dropped out of college to begin his MMA career.
Jones vs. Evans was in the works for a second time, and a bout was targeted for December 10, 2011, at UFC 140. However, a lingering thumb injury cost another title opportunity for Evans, and Jones instead faced Lyoto Machida at the same event. Jones successfully defended the light heavyweight title at UFC 140, stopping Machida at 4:26 of the second round via guillotine choke technical submission. This was the first submission loss in Machida's career.
When asked about the controversy, UFC president Dana White stated, "we've got to stop that stuff. The openings of the hands and putting the hands on the face are something bad, but it happens with guys who have reach. They do that a lot." White clarified his position in another interview, saying, "It's not just taller fighters. Jones has that range and he can do it, but lots of guys do it because that's how you block punches. So you keep your hands open and you slap punches down. Then guys are rushing in and you're doing whatever, and guys get poked in the eyes." White also noted that in the fight against Glover Teixeira, after Jones was warned about the behavior, he was more careful to avoid any eye pokes throughout the rest of the match, a move he claimed Jones "would not [be] credited for" from detractors.
Jones stated that he did not knowingly take any prohibited substances, with his team believing Jones consumed tainted substances. Jones potentially faced up to a 4-year suspension if found guilty, but on September 18 he was handed a 15-month suspension by USADA, retroactive to July 28, plus three months community service. Thirty months were deducted from the four-year suspension because Jones provided "substantial assistance" to USADA. "Substantial assistance" refers to an athlete informing an anti-doping agency about a doping violation by another athlete. USADA said it reduced the suspension by a further three months after a hearing with an independent arbitrator, Richard McLaren, on September 15. Travis Tygart, CEO of USADA, said in a statement: "The independent arbitrator found that Jon Jones was not intentionally cheating in this case, and while we thought 18 months was the appropriate sanction given the other circumstances of the case, we respect the arbitrator's decision and believe that justice was served. This case is another strong reminder that athletes need to be extremely cautious about the products and supplements they use to ensure they are free of prohibited substances."
Social Network
Jon Jones is active on social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter, where he engages with fans and shares updates about his life and career.
Immediately after the bout with Bader, it was revealed that title contender and Jones's training partner Rashad Evans had sustained a knee injury in training, and would not be able to compete in his scheduled match with UFC light heavyweight champion Maurício "Shogun" Rua. Jones was told by Joe Rogan in the post-fight interview that he would replace Evans in the fight for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. On March 19, 2011, at UFC 128, Jones defeated Rua by TKO at 2:37 of Round 3, becoming the youngest ever UFC champion. After an early flying knee that badly hurt the champion, Shogun was dominated throughout the three rounds. A body shot and knee to the head dropped the champion to his knees, causing the referee to step in and halt the match.
Jones faced his arch rival and former teammate Rashad Evans on April 21, 2012, at UFC 145, and won via unanimous decision (49–46, 49–46, and 50–45). During the UFC 145 post fight press conference, Dana White confirmed that Jones's next opponent would be Dan Henderson. The Jones-Henderson fight was expected to take place at UFC 151, but Henderson pulled out of the bout due to injuries. Jones then refused a late replacement fight with Chael Sonnen after his coach Greg Jackson told him with three training days left, it would be difficult to prepare. UFC 151 was then subsequently canceled, the first cancelation in the company's 19-year history.
Jones's decision to decline the fight against Sonnen was criticized by UFC president Dana White, who said, "This is one of the most selfish, disgusting decisions that doesn't just affect you. This is affecting 16 other lives, their families, kids are going back to school. The list goes on and on of all the things, the money that was spent for fighters to train and the list goes on and on. Like I said, I don't think this is going to make Jon Jones popular with the fans, sponsors, cable distributors, television network executives or other fighters." However, Jones was defended by MMA analysts, who criticized White for promoting a thin card. It was later reported that Henderson was injured three weeks prior to the announcement, but kept the injury under wraps as he was still hoping to compete.
Jones also excels in the clinch, where he is skilled at controlling his opponent's arms and scoring elbow and knee strikes. He uses Greco-Roman wrestling takedowns like lateral drops from overhooks, as well as a variety of judo throws, like osoto gari, harai goshi and deashi harai, which he claims he picked up by watching them on YouTube. Once on the ground, he has excellent positional control and an ability to find openings for punches and elbow strikes.
In an interview with Joe Rogan on December 1, 2016, Jones stated that he has four daughters (aged 9, 8, 6 and 3). On February 23, 2022, Jones announced via Twitter that his fiancée Jessie had left him around two months prior. The two have since reconciled, and Jessie accompanied Jones into the cage after he won the heavyweight title at UFC 285 on March 4, 2023. In June 2024, Jones announced that he had been granted 50/50 custody over his son, marking the first time he indicated having a son.
Jones has been criticized for repeatedly poking his opponents in the eyes. In response to the criticism, Jones released a video on Instagram in April 2014 in which he mocked fans by simulating crying and saying "Jones put his finger in his eye. Dirtiest fighter in MMA." After backlash towards the post, Jones deleted it from his account.
Jones apologized to his fans on Twitter by saying, "Got a lot of soul searching to do. Sorry to everyone I've let down." On September 29, 2015, he pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and was subsequently sentenced to up to 18 months of supervised probation. He was authorized to travel for work-related purposes. Jones met all of the conditions, which included 72 separate appearances for charity or youth outreach, avoiding a felony charge on his criminal record. In an interview in December 2016, Jones admitted he had run from the scene of the accident and had not checked on the occupant of the other vehicle.
In the early hours of September 24, 2021, a day after Jones was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame for his fight with Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165, police were called to the Caesars Palace resort hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, responding to a domestic incident. According to a police report obtained by news site MMA Fighting, a 9-1-1 call was made by a hotel security guard when Jones's youngest daughter requested help, claiming there was a domestic incident between Jones and his fiancée, Jessie Moses. Cops arrived in minutes, cutting Jones off as he was attempting to flee the scene. Officers detained Jones and began to investigate the situation. While officers detained Jones, others went to the room to further investigate and get Moses's side of the story. When they arrived at the room, they observed her with blood on her face and clothing, and with a bump on her lip, consistent with someone who had been struck. Moses stated that Jones had left the hotel to go out with friends while Moses and their children went to sleep, and that when Jones returned, he was belligerent, became agitated, and pulled her hair. She claimed that the hair pulling was the extent of the physicality between the two, and that the blood on her face and clothing was from chapped lips. She also declined a temporary protective order against Jones. Police stated that while he was being detained, a belligerent Jones headbutted the hood of the patrol vehicle, leaving a dent, had made threats and challenged the arresting officers to a fight, and had said he could break free from the handcuffs. Jones did not follow through with his threats, however, and was placed under arrest peacefully after the investigation concluded. He was taken to the Clark County jail where he was charged with one count of domestic battery, a misdemeanor, and one count of tampering with a police vehicle, a felony. His bail was set at $16,000.
Jones was arrested in the early morning of March 26, 2020, in Albuquerque. According to police reports, an Albuquerque PD officer heard what sounded like a gunshot and, upon further investigation, observed a black Jeep with Jones in the driver's seat. After noticing signs of intoxication, the responding officer administered a field sobriety test, which Jones failed. Jones was also given a breathalyzer test and registered a BAC more than twice the legal limit. Police then searched Jones's vehicle while arresting him for DWI and found a partially empty bottle of Recuerdo Mezcal as well as a black handgun underneath the driver's seat. Jones was arrested on the scene and taken to the Bernalillo County jail. Altogether, Jones was charged with aggravated DWI, negligent use of a firearm, possession of an open container, and driving with no proof of insurance. On March 31, it was announced that Jones had pleaded guilty to the DWI charge, after accepting a plea deal in which the other charges would be dropped. He was sentenced to four days' house arrest, one year of supervised probation, a minimum of 90 days of outpatient therapy, and he must complete 48 hours of community service.
Education
Jon Jones attended Cortland High School in New York, where he was an excellent wrestler. He did not pursue higher education, focusing instead on his martial arts career.
In summary, Jon Jones' net worth and career reflect his achievements as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time, despite facing numerous challenges outside the octagon.
In September 2018, it was announced by USADA that Jones would serve a suspension of 15 months. From a potential suspension of 48 months USADA applied a reduction of 30 months for Jones's co-operation in identifying other anti-doping offences, and a further 3 months was applied by arbitrators McLaren in relation to Jones's degree of fault.
In January 2008, Jones participated in the Northeastern Grappler's Challenge, an event hosted by Team Bomb Squad, his original team, in Ithaca, New York. Jones competed in two matches, both against world-class grappler Doug Fournet, who has competed numerous times in the FILA Grappling World Championships and World Sambo Championships, submitting him both times with a ‘Kimura’. Fournet’s teammate, Stephen Koepfer, who later recounted the events of both matches, admitted, "That was the first time I saw Doug get submitted by anybody, so it was pretty surprising."
On January 6, 2015, it was announced that Jones failed a drug test prior to UFC 182. He tested positive for benzoylecgonine, the primary metabolite of cocaine. Because benzoylecgonine is not banned out-of-competition by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the NSAC could not halt Jones from participating during UFC 182. He was randomly tested on December 3, 2014, and results came back on December 23. A week after his first test, Jones was tested again. He passed the second test, which meant that the cocaine metabolite was out of his system before the fight. When the news was made public, Jones went into rehab for one night. He was fined $25,000 on January 17 for violating the UFC's Athlete Code of Conduct policy. On January 19, 2015, Jones was interviewed for the first time since the failed drug test and said: "...I'm not a cocaine addict by any means or not even a frequent user. I just made a really dumb decision and got caught with my pants down in this whole situation."
Prior to his UFC 182 bout with Cormier, Jones's testosterone/epitestosterone (T/E) ratio was considered by some experts to be alarmingly low. Victor Conte, a former steroid distributor, who founded and led the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO), said of Jones's test "these (levels) are highly suspicious for Jon Jones, in my opinion. This is the reason that sophisticated anti-doping officials do target testing. So based on what we see here, my opinion is Jon Jones should be on a very short leash and should be random tested here until they sort out why he has these anomalies." This resulted in several journalists imploring the NSAC to utilize CIR (Carbon Isotope Ratio) testing on Jones's samples. "Luckily, this is a situation where speculation could quickly be ended. Jon Jones's drug test samples still exist and a simple Carbon Isotope Ratio test could be conducted to find the result. Put simply, a CIR test would be able to determine if the testosterone in Jones's system was synthetic or natural," Brent Brookhouse of Bloody Elbow wrote. However, according to NSAC executive director Bob Bennett, Jones's test samples had already undergone CIR testing by the same WADA-accredited lab which had reported his T/E ratios, noting that all CIR results came back clean. Additionally, he said there were three different types of tests done during each of the random tests: urine, blood testing for human growth hormone and a blood passport test. "The only negative was testing positive for cocaine metabolites," Bennett said.
On August 22, 2017, it was announced that Jones was flagged for a potential doping violation by USADA, stemming from his test sample that was collected on July 28, one day before his rematch against Cormier at UFC 214. He tested positive for Turinabol, an anabolic steroid, and was placed on a provisional suspension as a result of the positive drug test. On September 13, the CSAC announced that it had overturned the result of the fight with Cormier from a KO victory for Jones to a 'no contest', after both Jones's A and B samples tested positive for Turinabol. Jones was also stripped of the title for a third time, and it was then returned to Cormier.
Jones became eligible to fight again on October 28, 2018, and was scheduled to fight against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 232 in Las Vegas on December 29. However, after further inconsistencies arose with his drug test on December 23, he was not granted a license to compete in Nevada, so the event was moved to Los Angeles. In order to receive a license from CSAC, Jones had to enroll into the VADA (Voluntary Anti-Doping Association) testing program, thus making him the first UFC fighter to be signed to both USADA and VADA testing programs simultaneously. Drug tests administered at UFC 232 found an ultra trace amount of turinabol, which doctors attributed to a long-term "pulsing effect" of the M3 metabolite detected in 2017. CSAC did not take disciplinary action against Jones as the medical experts stated that there was no evidence that Jones had re-administered a banned substance and no performance-enhancing benefits were gained.
