Jon Jones facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jon Jones
Jones in 2014
Born	Jonathan Dwight Jones (1987-07-19) July 19, 1987 (age 37) Rochester, New York, U.S.
Nickname(s)	Bones
Residence	Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
Height	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight	238 lb (108 kg)
Division	Light heavyweight (2008–2020) Heavyweight (2023–present)
Reach	84+1⁄2 in (215 cm)
Stance	Orthodox
Fighting out of	Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
Team	Team Bombsquad (2008–2009) Jackson Wink MMA Academy (2009–2021) Jackson's MMA Acoma (2021–present) Fight Ready (2021–present)
Rank	Black belt in Gaidojutsu under Greg Jackson Purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Roberto Alencar
Wrestling	NJCAA Wrestling
Years active	2008–present (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total	30
Wins	28
By knockout	11
By submission	7
By decision	10
Losses	1
By disqualification	1
No contests	1
Other information
University	Iowa Central Community College
Children	4
Notable relatives	Arthur Jones (older brother) Chandler Jones (younger brother)
Notable school(s)	Union-Endicott High School
Medal record Collegiate Wrestling Representing Iowa Central CC NJCAA Championships Gold 2006 Rochester 197 lb
Signature

Jonathan Dwight Jones (born July 19, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He is known as one of the greatest fighters of all time. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is the current UFC Heavyweight Champion.

Jones started his professional career in 2008. He was also the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion for many years. He became the youngest champion in UFC history at just 23 years old. He holds many UFC records, including the most title defenses in the light heavyweight division. Jones has never been knocked out or outscored in his career. His only official loss was a disqualification due to an illegal move.

Jones has faced some challenges outside the octagon during his career. These issues led to him losing his title a few times. However, he always managed to return and reclaim his championship. After taking a break from MMA, he returned in 2023 to win the UFC Heavyweight Championship.

Early Life and Family

Jon Jones was born on July 19, 1987, in Rochester, New York. His father, Arthur, is a pastor. Jon has three siblings. His older brother, Arthur, played American football as a defensive lineman. His younger brother, Chandler, is an outside linebacker for the Las Vegas Raiders. Jon's older sister, Carmen, sadly passed away before her 18th birthday.

Mixed Martial Arts Career

Starting His Fighting Journey

Before becoming a professional fighter, Jon Jones was a talented wrestler in high school. He even won a state championship in New York. He also played football as a defensive lineman. His coach gave him the nickname "Bones" because he was very thin. Jones also won a national wrestling championship at Iowa Central Community College. He later left college to start his career in mixed martial arts (MMA).

Jones began his professional MMA career in April 2008. He quickly built an amazing record, winning all six of his first fights in just three months. He won all of these fights by stopping his opponents. Before joining the UFC, he won the USKBA Light Heavyweight Championship.

Joining the Ultimate Fighting Championship

First Fights and Rising Star

Jon Jones made his UFC debut at UFC 87 on August 9, 2008. He took the fight on short notice. Jones won his first UFC fight by a unanimous decision. He used unique moves like spinning elbows and kicks.

In his second UFC fight, Jones faced Stephan Bonnar at UFC 94. Jones showed off his wrestling skills, taking Bonnar down many times. He won this fight by unanimous decision as well. His third UFC fight was at UFC 100 against Jake O'Brien. Jones controlled the fight and won by a submission move called a guillotine choke. Because of his impressive wins, Jones signed a new contract with the UFC.

On December 5, 2009, Jones fought Matt Hamill. Jones was disqualified in this fight for using illegal elbow strikes. This meant he lost the fight, even though he was doing well. UFC president Dana White later said he thought the fight should have been a "no contest" instead of a loss for Jones.

Jones continued to win after this. He defeated Brandon Vera in March 2010. He also won the "Knockout of the Night" award for this fight.

Jones and basketball player Glen Davis in 2010

Next, Jones defeated Vladimir Matyushenko in August 2010. After this win, UFC president Dana White said Jones was a "real deal" and would become a big star. Jones then faced Ryan Bader in February 2011. Jones won by submission, earning the "Submission of the Night" award.

Becoming Light Heavyweight Champion

Right after his win against Bader, Jon Jones got a huge opportunity. The champion, Maurício "Shogun" Rua, needed a new opponent because his original challenger was injured. Jones stepped in to fight for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. On March 19, 2011, at UFC 128, Jones defeated Rua. He won by TKO in the third round. This made him the youngest UFC champion ever!

Jones defended his title against Quinton Jackson in September 2011 at UFC 135. He won by submission, becoming the first UFC fighter to submit Jackson. Jones later said this was his favorite fight at that time.

His next title defense was against Lyoto Machida at UFC 140 in December 2011. Jones won by technical submission in the second round. This was the first time Machida had ever been submitted in his career.

Jones then faced his former teammate, Rashad Evans, at UFC 145 in April 2012. Jones won this highly anticipated fight by unanimous decision. His next fight was supposed to be against Dan Henderson, but Henderson got injured. Jones then chose not to fight a last-minute replacement. This led to the cancellation of UFC 151, which was the first time a UFC event had been canceled.

Jones then defended his title against Vitor Belfort at UFC 152 in September 2012. Even though he almost got caught in a submission early, Jones won by submission in the fourth round. This win earned him another "Submission of the Night" bonus.

Jones was a coach on the TV show The Ultimate Fighter against Chael Sonnen. They then fought each other at UFC 159 in April 2013. Jones quickly defeated Sonnen by TKO in the first round. With this win, Jones tied the record for most consecutive title defenses in UFC light heavyweight history.

His next fight was against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 in September 2013. This was a very tough fight for Jones. He won by unanimous decision, but both fighters were sent to the hospital afterward. Many people called this fight an "epic battle" and one of the greatest fights in UFC history. It was later added to the UFC Hall of Fame.

Jones then fought Glover Teixeira at UFC 172 in April 2014. Jones won this fight by unanimous decision.

Jones was scheduled for a rematch with Gustafsson, but Gustafsson got injured. So, Jones fought Daniel Cormier instead at UFC 182 in January 2015. Jones won this fight by unanimous decision. He was also the first person to take Cormier down in a fight. This fight earned both fighters the "Fight of the Night" bonus.

Challenges and Returns

After his win against Cormier, Jones faced some challenges outside of fighting. Due to disciplinary actions, he was stripped of his title and suspended from the UFC. He returned to fight Ovince Saint Preux at UFC 197 in April 2016. Jones won this fight by unanimous decision.

He was then scheduled for a rematch with Daniel Cormier. However, Jones was removed from the fight due to a rule violation related to testing. He was suspended for one year and lost his interim title.

While suspended, Jones competed in a grappling match against Dan Henderson in December 2016. Jones won by submission.

Jones had his rematch with Daniel Cormier at UFC 214 in July 2017. Jones won the fight by knockout in the third round and became the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion again. However, the result of this fight was later changed to a "no contest" due to another rule violation related to testing. He was again stripped of his title.

After serving a suspension, Jones returned in October 2018.

Second Time as Light Heavyweight Champion

Jones returned at UFC 232 in December 2018 for a rematch with Alexander Gustafsson. He won by technical knockout in the third round, becoming the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion for the second time.

In his first defense of this new reign, Jones faced Anthony Smith at UFC 235 in March 2019. Jones dominated the fight and won by unanimous decision.

Jones then fought Thiago Santos at UFC 239 in July 2019. It was a very close fight, but Jones won by split decision.

His next defense was against Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 in February 2020. Jones won by unanimous decision. With this win, Jones set a new record for the most wins in UFC title fights with 14 wins.

Moving to Heavyweight

In 2020, Jon Jones decided to give up his Light Heavyweight Championship. He announced that he wanted to move up to the Heavyweight division. He spent three years training and preparing for this big change.

Becoming Heavyweight Champion

After a long break, Jones returned to the octagon in March 2023 at UFC 285. He fought Ciryl Gane for the vacant UFC Heavyweight Championship. Jones won the fight by submission in the first round, becoming the UFC Heavyweight Champion! He also earned the "Performance of the Night" award for his amazing return.

Jones was scheduled to defend his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic in November 2023. However, Jones had to pull out of the fight due to an injury.

One year later, the fight between Jones and Miocic was rescheduled for November 16, 2024, at UFC 309. Jones won the fight by technical knockout in the third round. With this win, he broke the record for the most title defenses in UFC history, with 12 successful defenses. He also earned another "Performance of the Night" award.

Training and Lifestyle

Jon Jones kicking a punching bag in training

Jon Jones has trained with different teams throughout his career. He trained with Team BombSquad and later at Jackson's MMA in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He also spent time training as a power-lifter during one of his breaks from the UFC.

Jon Jones posing with Marines at Camp Pendleton in 2010

Jon Jones has four daughters and a son. He is known for an interesting event that happened before his fight at UFC 128. He was with his coaches when they saw an elderly couple screaming for help. A man had broken their car window and stolen their GPS. Jones and his coaches chased the robber, caught him, and held him until the police arrived.

Jones has also had several sponsorship deals with big companies. He was the first mixed martial artist to be sponsored by Nike on a global scale. He also had his own shoe line and represented Gatorade and MuscleTech. However, some of these sponsorships ended due to his issues outside the octagon.

Film and TV Appearances

Jon Jones has appeared in several television shows and films, usually playing himself. He has also been featured in many UFC video games.

Achievements and Awards

Jon Jones with fans at UFC 100 Fan Expo, Las Vegas

Jon Jones has achieved many great things in his career. He is in the UFC Hall of Fame. He holds many UFC records, including:

• Most wins in UFC title fights (16)
• Most successful title defenses in UFC history (12)
• Most UFC title fights (17)
• Youngest champion in UFC history (23 years, 243 days old)
• Longest time as Light Heavyweight champion (1,501 days)
• Most wins in UFC Light Heavyweight division history (20)
• Longest unbeaten streak in UFC history (20 fights)

He has also won several bonus awards for his exciting fights, including:

• "Fight of the Night" (four times)
• "Knockout of the Night" (one time)
• "Submission of the Night" (two times)
• "Performance of the Night" (three times)

Jones has received many "Fighter of the Year" awards from different sports news outlets. His fight against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 was named "Fight of the Year" by many groups.

Amateur Wrestling Achievements

Before MMA, Jones was a highly successful amateur wrestler:

• Won the NJCAA National Championship (2006)
• Was an All-American in college wrestling (2006)
• Won the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Division I State Championship (2005)

Mixed Martial Arts Record

Grappling Record

5 Matches, 5 Wins (5 Submissions)
Result	Rec.	Opponent	Method	Event	Division	Date	Location
Win	5–0	Dan Henderson	Submission (arm-triangle choke)	Submission Underground 2	Superfight	December 10, 2016	Portland, OR
Win	4–0	Rich O'Toole	Submission (guillotine choke)	NAGA Phoenix	Absolute	October 15, 2016	Phoenix, AZ
Win	3–0	Don Daubert	Submission (guillotine choke)
Win	2–0	Doug Fournet	Submission (kimura)	Northeastern Grappler's Challenge	Absolute	January, 2008	Ithaca, NY
Win	1–0	Doug Fournet	Submission (kimura)

Pay-Per-View Events

Jon Jones has been a part of many major pay-per-view events in the UFC, which means people paid to watch his fights. This shows how popular and exciting his matches are!

See Also

In Spanish: Jon Jones para niños

• List of current UFC fighters
• List of male mixed martial artists
• List of UFC champions
• List of UFC bonus award recipients
• List of UFC records
• List of UFC events
• UFC Rankings