UFC two-division champion Jon Jones’s first title defense featured nearly unshakeable nerves in the leadup.
Jon Jones has instilled fear into many of his UFC opponents during his legendary career, including during his multiple UFC light heavyweight title reigns. Jones, arguably the greatest fighter in UFC history, defeated many legends during his stint in the light heavyweight division, and set the record for the youngest fighter to hoist UFC gold.
After defeating Shogun Rua to win the UFC light heavyweight belt at UFC 135, Jones earned a fight date with Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson for his first career title defense. Jackson, who made himself into a global star before moving from PRIDE to the UFC, was one of the most intimidating presences in the Octagon during his physical prime.
Jackson, like Jones, instilled fear into his opponents throughout his career. Leading up to UFC 135, Jones was one of those rivals who felt anxiety in facing the hard-punching Jackson.
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Jon Jones had relentless nightmares of knockout result ahead of Rampage Jackson fight
During an appearance on Steve-O’s Wild Ride! podcast, Jones explained his fears before entering the Octagon to fight Jackson.
“So with Rampage Jackson, I kept having these nightmares that I would get knocked out. No matter how the fight played out, I’d always get knocked out, and it was always within the first 30 seconds of the fight,” Jones said.
“Once I’d run to the center, he’d run out, swing a huge overhand right. In another dream, it was an uppercut, it was a left hook, and I couldn’t avoid this inevitable knockout that I would experience in the first round,” Jones continued. “And I’m a big fan of Sports Psychology, and I call those ‘red zone thoughts’. When you have a negative thought, cancel it out with a positive thought, like if someone was beating your a–…
“I couldn’t avoid these images and nightmares of Rampage Jackson knocking me out. So on fight night, I felt like I was going to get knocked out, and I felt like if he was coming for me, energetically I was getting these signals from a higher power that ‘Jon, this is going to happen to you tonight’, and I couldn’t avoid it.”
Luckily for Jones, he was able to overcome his pre-fight fears to become the first UFC fighter to finish Jackson in the Octagon. In a dominant performance, he tapped Jackson with a rear-naked choke in the fourth round to defend his UFC light heavyweight belt.
Jackson never made it back to a UFC title fight, having an up-and-down finish to his career in the cage. He retired from MMA after a loss to Fedor Emelianenko at Bellator 237 in 2019.
Jon Jones responded to viral petition calling for stripping of heavyweight champ’s title
Fast forward to 2025, and Jones’s status as a UFC titleholder has come under fire from some fight fans in recent weeks. Amidst his ongoing negotiations with the UFC over a clash with Tom Aspinall, Jones has teased retirement in various social media posts, prompting frustration from the UFC fanbase.
While Jones pivoted on his brief retirement teases, he doesn’t seem in a rush to get back into the Octagon to fight the interim heavyweight champion Aspinall. Jones finished Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 in November in his long-awaited first heavyweight title defense.
Jones’s hiatus prompted many UFC fans to sign a now-viral petition calling for the promotion to strip him of the UFC heavyweight title. A petition on Change.org has accumulated over 40,000 signatures and counting, and Jones has taken notice.
In a social media response, Jones seemed to poke fun at those who signed the petition, comparing it to one of his infamous controversies. UFC CEO Dana White remains adamant that the Jones vs. Aspinall fight will come to fruition later this year.