Before and after fighting Jon Jones: Five fighters who never recovered from losing to ‘Bones’
Here is a list of best UFC fighters who got manhandled by Jon Jones and never recovered.
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Jon Jones (Image Courtesy: MMA Junkie)
When it comes to the UFC resumes, no other fighter has a better one than Jon Jones. The former light heavyweight champion has fought some of the most dangerous fighters throughout his career. However, inside the octagon, Jones has dominated each and every fighter he faced Needless to say, all the fighters who have fought Jones have experienced a dip in their respective careers after fighting Jones.
Fighting Jon Jones is definitely one of the biggest challenges for all his opponents however, no fighter has remained the same after going up against ‘Bones’. Here is a list of fighters who didn’t remain the same after fighting Jon Jones.
Related: Jon Jones Net Worth 2023, UFC Salary, Endorsements, Wife, and More
Daniel Cormier: Jon Jones vs DC UFC 214
The rivalry between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier is regarded as one of the most brutal ones in UFC history. Both the fighters fought each other twice and each time the intensity was extremely high. Both times, DC had to suffer the most and the whole process took a toll on the fighter. After his second loss at UFC 214, Cormier was in tears and couldn’t believe that he lost the fight. It was one of the most emotional moments in UFC history. Even after becoming the double champion, DC to this date isn’t over his loss against Jones.
Thiago Santos: Jones vs Santos UFC 239
Thiago Santos fought Jon Jones for the light heavyweight championship at UFC 239 in 2019 and put forward an amazing fight. Santos was one of the few fighters who came close to beating Jones but it wasn’t enough and Santos lost the fight via split decision. Going into the fight, the Brazilian had a four-fight win streak but after losing to Jones his career went downhill. Santos was never the same, lost four out of five of his future fights.
Dominick Reyes: Jones vs Reyes UFC 247
Dominick Reyes came into the UFC in 2017 and was looking unstoppable in his early fights. Reyes immediately stacked on wins and climbed the light heavyweight rankings to fight Jones at UFC 247. However, his talent wasn’t enough to beat Jones who defeated Reyes via unanimous decision. After that fight, Reyes never won another fight and is currently on a four-fight losing streak.
Alexander Gustafsson: Jones vs Gustafsson UFC 232
Alexander Gustafsson and Jon Jones came across each other twice in their respective careers and together they gave fight fans some of the best fighting moments. At UFC 165, Gustafsson lost the fight via unanimous decision but got an opportunity to take his revenge against Jones after five years at UFC 232. However, this time was even worse than the first one as Gustafsson got KOed by Jones in the third round. After that massive loss, Gustafsson failed to bounce back and suffered three more consecutive losses before his UFC retirement.
Anthony Smith: Jones vs Smith UFC 235
Anthony Smith was once considered to be a future light heavyweight champion and at UFC 235 got his title shot against Jon Jones. The fight went for five rounds and in the end, Jones got announced as the winner via unanimous decision. Since that loss, Smith became inconsistent and never got close to winning the belt again.
Maurício Rua: Jones vs Rua UFC 128
Jon Jones and Maurício Rua went against each other in 2011 at UFC 128 for the light heavyweight championship. Going into the fight, Rua had a reputation as a hard hitter but against Jones, he failed to impress the fans. Rua got TKOed in the third round and lost the fight. Since that fight, Rua fought many other UFC fights and gathered a few wins but never looked great and didn’t get any title shots.
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Soumya Ranjan
(2167 Articles Published)