For those who are new to mixed martial arts the name Jon Jones might not ring a bell. Which is astonishing for long term fans of the sport because he has had a very dominant career in the octagon. Jon Jones is the youngest UFC fighter of all time to retain a UFC title.
At the age of 23 he completed his life long goal of having that UFC gold wrapped around his waist. Such a huge accomplishment that most people could not accomplish in their entire lifetime has been accomplished by a 23 year old. It sounds surreal and like it was a huge mountain for him to climb and he was finally at the summit, however, Jon jones had the worst yet to come.
After defeating Maricio Shogun Rua, Jones because the youngest to ever strap the title around his waist and at such a young age it seemed that he took it for granted. He partied and admitted to using cocaine while under UFC contracts.
He tested positive for cocaine during testing a few months prior to fighting his new found rival, Daniel Cormier. The fight did however end up going on at UFC 182 in 2015. The fight went the entirety of the five 5 minute rounds and Jon Jones won by unanimous decision. It was an extremely closely contested fight, with so much animosity between the two fighters that the fans couldn't help but beg for a rematch. They didn't know it yet, but they would have to wait for over 2 and a half years.
This is where Bones Jones' reign as world champion came to a hold.
Jones was involved in a hit and run incident that left a pregnant women with a broken arm. This forced the UFC to strip Jones of his title pending legal action.
Jones then spent some time in prison and was placed on a suspension from the UFC.
Once the suspension was up everyone in the mixed martial arts community had but one question, when will Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones get to fight. This fight seemed like it had been in the making for a while but there were a few more hiccups to come.
The were booked for UFC 200 in 2016 as the main event however in the final days leading up to the event Jon Jones once again pulled out, this time due to a USADA anti doping violation. After further analysis it turned out to be a drug from a off-brand cialis so Jon Jones (the man with 9 lives) had gotten one final opportunity to get his belt back and defeat Daniel Cormier again.
In the time Jones spent away Daniel Cormier had won the UFC Light Heavyweight World Title and had continued to defend it in Jones' absence.
Finally after the two suspensions spanning the course of 2 and a half years since the original battle between Daniel Cormier and Jon Bone Jones, they had the date of the epic rematch between Cormier and Jones.
SPOILER ALERT!!
Jon Jones won the fight in spectacular fashion with a left high kick that caught Daniel Cormier leaning in slightly. This kick dazed Cormier but he did not fall off his feet. He stumbled back towards the cage, but Jones chased him down and laid down some devastating head shots until the referee had no choice but to call the fight. Winner by TKO Jon Bones Jones.
After all of that debacle Jon Jones finally has his title back and the rivalry between him and Daniel Cormier is settled.
As a fan of Jon Jones I personally cannot wait to see what happens next with his career. There have been talks of him going up to the heavyweight division to face off against Brock Lesnar. I would be very interested in how Jones would adapt his style to work against the much bigger and much stronger Brock Lesnar.
Jones has made a huge accomplishment at UFC 214 in regaining his title. He overcame huge adversity to get back in that octagon and take back his title and it really goes to show that if you put your mind to something you can accomplish it despite the adversity you have to overcome.
