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Jon Jones

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Jon Jones
File:Jon jones.jpeg
BornJonathan D. Jones
(1987-07-19) July 19, 1987 (age 37)
Rochester, New York, U.S.
Other namesBones
NationalityUnited States American
Height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight206 lb (93 kg; 14.7 st)
Division205
Reach84.5 in (215 cm)
StyleGreco-Roman Wrestling, Muay Thai
StanceOrthodox
Fighting out ofIthaca, New York
TeamJackson's Submission Fighting[1]
Years active2008–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total12
Wins11
By knockout7
By submission2
By decision2
Losses1
By disqualification1
Other information
UniversityIowa Central Community College
Notable school(s)Union-Endicott High School
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Last updated on: August 1, 2010

Jonathan D. Jones (born July 19, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist. He currently fights as a light heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and initially trained with Team BombSquad out of Cortland, New York, then briefly with the Tristar Gym in Montreal, Canada and most recently started training at Jackson's Submission Fighting in Albuquerque, New Mexico.[2] He is described by UFC President Dana White as being one of the top 8 Light heavyweight fighters in the world.[3] Jones is currently ranked #8 Light Heavyweight in the world by MMAweekly. As of August 17, 2010, Sherdog.com ranks Jones as the #9 light heavyweight fighter in the world.[4]

Background

Jones was born in Rochester, New York, though he was raised in Endicott, New York and considers it to be his hometown.[5] Jon was a 2005 state wrestling champion while a senior at Union-Endicott High School and a national Junior College Champion (JUCO) at Iowa Central Community College where he earned his Associate's degree.[6] Jones planned on getting a higher degree in Criminal Justice and pursuing a career in Law Enforcement, but after spending a semester in Morrisville State College,[7] he signed a four-fight contract with the UFC, making him the youngest UFC fighter on roster at that time.[8] He is noted for having the longest reach in the UFC at 84.5 inches.

Mixed martial arts career

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Jones' debut UFC fight was against Andre Gusmao at UFC 87 on August 9, 2008. Jones took the fight on three weeks notice as a late replacement for Tomasz Drwal. He put on an impressive performance using takedowns and displayed some unorthodox striking, such as spinning elbows and a spinning back kick. Even though he came into the fight widely regarded as a heavy underdog, Jones was rewarded with a unanimous decision victory.[9][10]

In his second fight, Jones fought veteran Stephan Bonnar at UFC 94 on January 31, 2009. Jones showed superior wrestling abilities and made Bonnar the victim of many strong takedowns and powerful throws including a suplex. Again showing unorthodox striking, Jones dropped Bonnar with a spinning back elbow in the first round. Although he appeared to tire in the third round, Jones held on to win another unanimous decision victory.[11][12]

His third fight was against Jake O'Brien at UFC 100[13] on July 11, 2009. Jones controlled the majority of the fight, preferring not to grapple and stuffing any takedown attempts from his opponent. Jones stayed on the outside, exercising his reach advantage and seemed to find his range toward the end of the first round with his right jab and high and low kicks. Midway through the second round Jones ducked and spun to deliver his trademark spinning back elbow which skimmed the top of O'Brien's head and rocked him into immediately grappling to try and regain composure. Jones capitalized on the flustered state of O'Brien by taking his neck and locking in a modified guillotine choke which rendered his opponent unconscious even after he tapped.

In September 2009, Jones signed a new, four-fight contract with the UFC. [14]

On December 5, 2009 Jones faced off against fellow light heavyweight prospect Matt Hamill at The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale. Despite dominating the majority of the fight, Jones was controversially[15] disqualified for the use of multiple 12-to-6 (striking from top of skull and down) elbows. Several of the elbows were deemed illegal elbows (the modified rules of mixed martial arts prohibit downward elbow strikes) and because of these elbows Jones was initially only penalized a point from the round. However, because Hamill could not continue, Jones was disqualified for these strikes. Consequently, the tape was reviewed and showed that Jones' elbows further damaged Hamill's already bloody and partially broken nose. [16][17] This also marked the first time that Nevada has used its recently-enacted instant replay rule, in which the referee's decision was supported by the commission which utilized a slow motion replay to review the elbows. Many analysts thought Jones should have won the fight because Hamill could not continue due to a shoulder injury and not the illegal elbow(s) he threw.[18]

Jones fought Brandon Vera on March 21, 2010 at UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones.[19] He won the fight by TKO (elbow) caused by an elbow to Vera's face followed up with punches in the first round.[20] The elbow delivered to stop the fight also broke Vera's face in three places.[21] Jones also won the Knockout of the Night award.

Jones defeated former IFL Light Heavyweight Champion Vladimir Matyushenko by TKO due to elbows in 1:52 of the first round on August 1, 2010 at UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko.[22] UFC President Dana White promised Jones a "huge step-up in the competition", if he managed to defeat Matyushenko, a feat he subsequently achieved. [23]

Following the fight with Matyushenko, UFC President Dana White said, "Vladimir Matyushenko is a guy who I have a a lot of respect for and I didn't think it was going to happen that easy. Jones is the real deal and he just catapulted himself tonight into the top eight in the world. Tonight solidified it. To go in and do what he did to Vladimir Matyushenko, and make it look as easy as he did tonight, it cements it for me. This kid is one of the top eight in the world in that weight division. He's got to keep his head together, stay focused and keep doing all the right things in training. He's smart, good looking and bad ass. He's going to make a lot of money -- this kid is going to do very well. Right now in the 205-pound division, all these guys are fighting each other. When the smoke clears and the dust settles, Jon Jones will fight one of the top eight guys in the world for his next fight."[24]

After defeating Matyushenko with deliberate speed, Jon Jones has said that he next wants a "Top-three opponent" for his next fight. [25]

Jones mentioned in an interview with ESPN that Dana White told him with his one remaining fight on his contract.[26], he would will be fighting the winner of Antônio Rogério Nogueira Vs. Ryan Bader and that White told him he would earn a title shot after his next two fights if he finishes them both, which is the first time Dana White has ever made such an ultimatum to a UFC fighter.[1]

Personal life

Jon is engaged and has a daughter named Leah, who was born on July 11, 2008. He believes that being in a committed relationship helps him stay focused on his training.[5] The couple had their second daughter, Carmen Nicole Jones in December 2009. [27]

His brother, Arthur was selected with the 26th pick (157th overall) in the 5th round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens. He is listed as a defensive tackle.[28] Jones's other brother, Chandler, is currently a defensive lineman at Syracuse.[29]

Championships and accomplishments

  • FIGHT! Magazine
    • 2009 Newcomer of the Year [30]
  • Sherdog
    • 2009 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
12 matches 11 wins 1 loss
By knockout 7 0
By submission 2 0
By decision 2 0
By disqualification 0 1
Result Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 11–1 Belarus Vladimir Matyushenko TKO (Elbows) UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko August 1, 2010 1 1:52 United States San Diego, California
Win 10–1 United States Brandon Vera TKO (Elbow and Punches) UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones March 21, 2010 1 3:19 United States Broomfield, Colorado Knockout of the Night
Loss 9–1 United States Matt Hamill DQ (Illegal Elbows) UFC: The Ultimate Finale 10 December 5, 2009 1 4:14 United States Las Vegas, Nevada Jones was disqualified for delivering multiple "12-to-6" vertical elbows that split open the bridge of Hamill's nose
Win 9–0 United States Jake O'Brien Submission (Guillotine Choke) UFC 100 July 11, 2009 2 2:43 United States Las Vegas, Nevada
Win 8–0 United States Stephan Bonnar Decision (Unanimous) UFC 94: St-Pierre vs. Penn 2 January 31, 2009 3 5:00 United States Las Vegas, Nevada
Win 7–0 Brazil Andre Gusmao Decision (Unanimous) UFC 87: Seek and Destroy August 9, 2008 3 5:00 United States Minneapolis, Minnesota UFC Debut
Win 6–0 United States Moyses Gabin TKO (Punches) BCX 5 – Battle Cage Xtreme 5 July 12, 2008 2 1:58 United States Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win 5–0 United States Parker Porter KO (Punch) World Championship Fighting 3 June 20, 2008 1 0:36 United States Wilmington, Massachusetts
Win 4–0 United States Ryan Verrett TKO (Punches) USFL – War in the Woods 3 May 9, 2008 1 2:58 United States Ledyard, Connecticut
Win 3–0 United States Anthony Pina Submission (Guillotine Choke) IF – Ice Fighter April 25, 2008 1 1:15 United States Worcester, Massachusetts
Win 2–0 United States Carlos Eduardo KO (Punches) BCX 4 – Battle Cage Xtreme 4 April 19, 2008 3 0:24 United States Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win 1–0 United States Brad Bernard TKO (Punches) FFP – Untamed 20 April 12, 2008 1 1:32 United States Foxborough, Massachusetts MMA Debut

References

  1. ^ Jon Jones Joins Greg Jackson's Camp!
  2. ^ "JON "BONES" JONES JOINS JACKSON'S CREW". MMAWEEKLY.com. 2009-08-22. Retrieved 2009-09-14.
  3. ^ Jon Jones takes UFC main event
  4. ^ "Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings – Light Heavyweight". sherdog.com. 2010-08-10. Retrieved 2010-08-17.
  5. ^ a b "Jon Jones grounded in reality heading into UFC 94". MMAJunkie.com. 2009-01-29. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
  6. ^ http://www.ufc.com/JonJones
  7. ^ http://www.d3wrestle.com/?p=141
  8. ^ "Less than four months into MMA career, Jon Jones ready for UFC 87 debut". MMAJunkie.com. 2008-07-31. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
  9. ^ "UFC 87 'Seek and Destroy' Play by Play". Sherdog.com. 2009-09-09. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
  10. ^ "For Jon Jones, upset victory proved he belongs in UFC". MMAJunkie.com. 2008-08-16. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
  11. ^ "St. Pierre Stops Penn After Fourth". Sherdog.com. 2009-01-31. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
  12. ^ "Penn quits before final round, St. Pierre keeps belt at UFC 94". MMAJunkie.com. 2009-02-01. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
  13. ^ "UFC 100". Ufc.com. Retrieved 2009-04-09.
  14. ^ Light-heavyweight prospect Jon Jones signs new contract with the UFC
  15. ^ Jones loses controversial disqualification to Hamill
  16. ^ Matt Hamill vs. Jon Jones expected for The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale in December
  17. ^ Matt Hamill vs. Jon Jones Set for TUF 10 Finale in December
  18. ^ Empathetic Jones lack of rules' knowledge puts an L on his ledger
  19. ^ "VERA AND JONES HEADLINE FIRST UFC® FIGHT ON VERSUS". ufc.com. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
  20. ^ UFC on Versus 1 main card recap: Jones dominates Vera, Dos Santos KOs Gonzaga
  21. ^ "Ouch! Vera's face broken from Jones elbow". Yahoo!Sports.com. 2010-03-22. Retrieved 2010-03-22.
  22. ^ "Vladimir Matyushenko expected to face Jon Jones at UFC on Versus 2". sbnation.com. Retrieved 2010-04-28.
  23. ^ |url=http://www.lowkick.com/UFC/Dana-White-promises-Jones-bigger-opponenets-if-he-gets-past-Matyushenko-9309}
  24. ^ Jon Jones next fight against 'one of the top eight guys in the world'
  25. ^ UFC phenom Jon Jones wants top-three opponent next but will settle for James Toney
  26. ^ Light-heavyweight prospect Jon Jones signs new contract with the UFC
  27. ^ "Jones seeks appeal in wake of 'Ultimate Fighter'disqualification". SI.com. 2009-12-10. Retrieved 2009-12-10.
  28. ^ http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft/player?id=24884&_slug_=arthur-jones&action=upsell&appRedirect=http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft/player%3fid%3d24884%26_slug_%3darthur-jones
  29. ^ "#97 Arthur Jones". Syracuse University. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
  30. ^ http://www.fightmagazine.com/mma-magazine/mma-article.asp?aid=455&issid=33
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