8 Biggest Jon Jones Controversies
Jon Jones has always struggled to keep himself out of trouble outside of the cage.
When Jon Jones defeated Shogun Rua in March 2011, he announced himself as the newest megastar on the UFC roster. At just 23 years old, Jones had not only become the youngest UFC champion but had done so in dominant fashion with a brutal stoppage against an MMA legend.
In the years since, little has changed. Jones has bulldozed through a series of light heavyweight legends rarely even showing a hint of weakness inside the Octagon. He has presided as the champion of a consistently competitive division for much of the last decade and has decisively defeated almost everyone at 205lbs.
Jones' showings outside the cage, however, tell a radically different story. Whether it's through trash-talking or drug busts, Jones has managed to draw the ire of UFC President Dana White, and the fans at large, more times than he'd probably like to remember.
With a fight against undefeated light heavyweight contender Dominic Reyes headlining Saturday's UFC 246 event, Jones will be hoping that he can continue building his legacy as one of the greatest fighters of all time and leave these antics in the past.
8. Social Media Shenanigans
Much like many of his colleagues on the UFC roster, Jones has never been afraid to flex his social media muscles in the face of trolls, fans, and even his fellow fighters every once in a while.
Back in 2014, Jones was widely condemned for his usage of homophobic slurs towards a Swedish fan who was trying to goad him into a rematch with Alexander Gustafsson. Ever the social media savant, Jones used a tried and tested explanation by taking to Twitter the following day to announce that his accounts had been hacked.
This was not an isolated incident either. Jones showed off his comedic chops by trolling fans who had criticised his performance against Glover Teixeira at UFC 172. Jones posted, then hastily-deleted, an Instagram video mocking those who criticised his frequent fouls in fights.
In more recent years, Jones' antics on social media appear to have taken a more sinister tone. When former UFC Interim Lightweight Champion Tony Ferguson lightheartedly took-aim at Bones over Twitter, Jones took no prisoners, responding:
Wait, when did this beef start!? I thought we were cool!! You over there feeling suicidal Tony?
After this Tweet was uploaded, many in the MMA world linked Jones' question to the mental health issues that Tony Ferguson had reportedly been struggling with. After fans brought this to Jones' attention, he characteristically replied with another now-deleted Tweet.
Yeah bro, I just show up and kick a few asses a few times a year. Don’t really sit around and read other fighters' articles