Jon Jones, the UFC heavyweight champion, recently defended his title and reflected on his unexpected career path from aspiring to join the military or law enforcement to becoming a professional fighter.
Jon Jones didn’t always envision himself as one of the greatest fighters in UFC history. Funny how life turns out, huh?
The UFC heavyweight champ recently defended his title for the first time, dominating Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 in November. “Bones” hopped on the Alex G Was Here YouTube channel for a joyride in a Bugatti and spilled some stories. One question? What if he hadn’t become a pro fighter?
“If I wasn’t a fighter,” Jones mused, “I was always really into military stuff—like law enforcement or something military-related.” He’s always had this hero complex, wanting to help people out.
Jones had an epic reign as light heavyweight champ, defending his title 11 times across multiple stints. He never actually lost the belt in a fight. Instead, he vacated it after a controversial win over Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 in February 2020.
After a three-year hiatus, the 37-year-old came back with a bang! He defeated Ciryl Gane in just over two minutes at UFC 285 in March 2023. This victory earned him the heavyweight title, which Francis Ngannou vacated when he left UFC for PFL. Injuries sidelined Jones for 20 months, but he returned to finish Miocic in the third round at Madison Square Garden.
Had Jones taken another path—or if life had thrown him different curveballs—things might’ve been vastly different.
“My life turned out pretty wild,” Jones admitted. “I haven’t always been the good guy. Growing up, I wanted to help people, so I studied criminal justice.” But then he dropped out, had a kid young, and now? Well, he beats people up for a living.
“It’s way different than what I thought I’d be doing,” he confessed. Life’s funny that way.