Before the vehicle mishaps and positive drug tests brought on by the trappings of fame and success, Jonny “Bones” Jones already had the makings of a massive superstar. Unlike his two brothers, he had an unsuccessful run at football, which led him to instead take up wrestling, and eventually venture into mixed martial arts.
At 21 years of age, Jones made his professional MMA debut on April 12th, 2008 in Boxborough, Massachusetts. Then with a team named “Bombsquad”, he faced Brad Bernard (0-2 entering the fight) at a catch-weight of 210 pounds.
On paper, Jones had a very slight disadvantage in terms of experience. But what he showed in the cage that night was the exact opposite, as he fought like he already had a good number of scraps under his belt.
The commentators had repeatedly likened him to Anderson Silva, but Jones definitely put his stamp on this fight, scoring a TKO win in the first round. He went on to have six more fights in smaller promotions, before getting signed by the UFC four months later.
Save for a disqualification loss to Matt Hamill in 2009, Jon Jones has so far kept an immaculate win-loss record of 22-1, with 15 victories by stoppage. On Saturday night at UFC 214, he will aim to win the 205-pound title back in a grudge-filled rematch against Daniel Cormier, with the hopes of erasing the damaging stigma brought on by his own personal demons.
UFC 214 takes place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.