Jon Jones’ Wild Admission on Intentionally Cheating Goes Viral Amidst Eye Poke Saga

Former UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones shares details about frequent eye pokes employed during his fights.

Jon Jones’ Wild Admission on Intentionally Cheating Goes Viral Amidst Eye Poke Saga

Jon Jones fighting Dominick Reyes (via X)

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Last weekend at the main event of UFC 321, Tom Aspinall suffered a nasty accidental eye poke from Ciryl Gan. The incident stopped the fight as the heavyweight champion was unable to continue, and the fight was declared a no-contest. The result reignited the long-standing debate surrounding eye pokes in UFC, and as expected, Jon Jones’ name has resurfaced. 

Jon Jones is infamous for his frequent eye pokes throughout his dominant MMA career. He often uses his exceptional reach advantage to disrupt opponents’ focus and rhythm by targeting their eyes during intense exchanges. An old interview recently resurfaced online, showing Jones openly admitting to intentionally performing eye pokes, sparking major controversy again. 

I do poke people in the eyes and it’s very illegal, but I do it. It’s like if someone’s coming at me, I’ll just put my hand on their forehead and a lot of times they end up missing the punch that was intended for my face and sometimes it lands in peoples eyes. And people hate that…I’m kind of known for it and uh it’s working.

Jon Jones via an interview 

Many UFC veterans have complained about getting their eyes poked by Jones when they fought in the past. Jones poked Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson in their 2011 UFC 135 title fight, briefly affecting Jackson’s vision before Jones won via submission. During his UFC 159 bout in 2013, Jones eye-poked Chael Sonnen multiple times, though he later finished Sonnen with a dominant TKO.

At UFC 172 against Glover Teixeira, ‘Bones’ repeatedly extended his fingers, irritating, yet secured a unanimous decision victory afterward. Against Daniel Cormier at UFC 182, Jones’ eye pokes drew criticism, but he still managed to earn a hard-fought unanimous decision win.

The only fighter who managed to counter Jon Jones’ notorious eye pokes was Dominick Reyes in their close UFC 247 fight. Reyes was prepared, and whenever Jones extended his arms out for an eye poke, he immediately punched them down. 

Apart from the eye pokes, Jon Jones was also infamous for using dangerous oblique kicks aimed at his opponents’ knees. Jones utilized them to stop any offensive pressure, but some resulted in severe injuries, including surgeries for fighters like Thiago Santos. All these incidents highlight just a few of the numerous controversies surrounding Jones’ career, both inside and outside the Octagon.

Former rival praises overall skillset of Jon Jones 

Following the eye poke incident between Ciryl Gane and Tom Aspinall, many fans humorously compared it to something Jon Jones might do. Jones went viral after an old interview surfaced where he criticized Aspinall for lacking true mental and physical resilience. Adding fuel to their rivalry, Jones mocked Aspinall by changing his profile picture to a cartoon duck wearing an eye patch.

Jon Jones in his prime
Jon Jones in his prime (via X)

Amid everything, ‘Bones’ also surprised fans by accepting Alex Pereira’s challenge to fight him at the White House event. Following this drama, Rampage Jackson discussed the situation on his podcast, offering his blunt and entertaining perspective.

I don’t think there’s anybody out there that can really beat Jon Jones. Jon Jones is very intelligent with his decision-making of who he fights and his opponents. I don’t think he was worried about Tom Aspinall as everybody thought he was. He knows what type of fight he’ll take to Alex Pereira. He’s not going to stand and bang with him. He doesn’t care about the entertainment — he cares about his legacy only.

Rampage Jackson via JAXXON Podcast 

The hype surrounding the upcoming White House event is enormous, with Dana White promising the greatest fight card ever assembled. Several major names, including Conor McGregor, Ilia Topuria, and Islam Makhachev, have already expressed interest in joining the historic event. Fans are eager to see if Jon Jones secures a spot, potentially facing knockout sensation Alex Pereira in a dream matchup.

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