Jon Jones is arguably the greatest UFC champion of all time, but it’s easy to forget what he’s been through to get there.
Back in 2013, during his epic title reign, Jones needed a seat after his victory at UFC 159 when he suddenly discovered a serious injury.
UFCHe was then offered a seat to conduct his post-fight Octagon interview[/caption]
Jones had just retained the light heavyweight title when he noticed a brutal injury sustained during his main event bout with Chael Sonnen.
It took Jones just over four minutes to dispatch of Sonnen after dragging his American counterpart to the canvas several times and following up with nasty ground-and-pound.
Following his win, Jones etched his name into the UFC history books once again, as he tied MMA icon Tito Ortiz for the most consecutive defences in the division with five.
After referee Keith Peterson had stopped the fight, Jones marched over to UFC commentator Joe Rogan for his usual post-fight victory speech in the Octagon.
However, once he noticed that his big toe had snapped like a branch, the champion went from celebrating his win to looking like he’d seen a ghost.
“Oh my word,” Jones said once he noticed the injury.
Rogan responded: “Oh! He’s got a broken foot,” before checking if ‘Bones’ was still alright to do his interview.
A delirious Jones insisted he was alright and proceeded with his interview as normal, but continued to exhale in and out as if moments from passing out.
“Well, I wasn’t planning on breaking my big toe,” he said in response to Rogan’s first question.
“It’s all nasty man. I was supposed to go to Jamaica after this. Now, I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
Rogan acknowledged Jones was in serious pain but was persistent on getting his fight questions answered.
“I was just so happy to get past Chael Sonnen,” Jones added.
“Sonnen is an awesome opponent. We went through a lot of drama and it motivated me a lot.
“I really wanted to try and Chael Sonnen, Chael Sonnen…I Chael Sonnen’ed Chael Sonnen.”
Rogan concluded by showing his admiration for Jones after making it through the interview with ‘one of the nastiest foot injuries’ he’d ever seen.
Jones had met Sonnen in April 2013 after the pair spent months going back and forth as opposing coaches while filming season 17 of The Ultimate Fighter.
The UFC Hall of Famer was at his blistering best as he ruthlessly stopped ‘The American Gangster’ with just 27 seconds left in the first round.
Jones was lucky to get Sonnen out of there quickly, as his toe was so damaged that if the latter had survived the opening sequence a UFC doctor may have waved off the fight.
Sonnen would’ve been awarded the winner of the UFC 159 main event bout by default and taken home a UFC belt following two failed cracks at the middleweight title.
Jones went on to defend his belt a further eight times after beating Sonnen, claiming victories over the likes of Glover Teixeira, Daniel Cormier and Alexander Gustafsson.
The 37-year-old New York native then moved up to the heavyweight division and claimed the UFC’s heaviest title by defeating Ciryl Gane.
Jones is expected to unify the heavyweight division against British interim champion Tom Aspinall in 2025.
Where to buy UFC London tickets
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With the UFC only coming to the UK a handful of times per year, the opportunity to see MMA’s biggest stars in action can be limited.
However, this month UK-based MMA fans will have the opportunity to see the excitement live as the UFC returns to the 02 arena for UFC Fight Night 254, Edwards vs Brady.
See some of the UK’s finest as Leon Edwards, Molly McCann, Nathaniel Wood and more take to the Octagon in what’s set to be a thrilling night of fights.
To get tickets to UFC London, follow the links below.
UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs Brady (02 Arena, 22 March)
- UFC London tickets at Ticketmaster, from £308.40 – buy here
- UFC London tickets at Vivid Seats, from £316 – buy here
- UFC London tickets at Stubhub, from £181 – buy here
- UFC London tickets at Viagogo, from £209 – buy here
For fans looking for an unrivalled Fight Night experience, Seat Unique offers UFC London hospitality packages complete with floor-level seating, UFC athlete appearances, post-fight Octagon experiences and more.
Get your UFC London hospitality tickets below.
UFC London hospitality tickets (02 Arena, 22 March)
- UFC London hospitality at Seat Unique, from £4,599 – buy here
