Throughout his career Jon Jones has continued to make UFC history with each outing and will always be one of the biggest stars the sport has ever seen.
After defending his UFC heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic last November, UFC fans were hopeful that Jon Jones would return to unify his title against Tom Aspinall.
Despite months of talks and positive updates from Dana White, the most recent news points towards Jones retiring from the sport, as Aspinall has revealed he has accepted a date and opponent for his next fight.
When ‘Bones’ does officially retire from the sport, he will go down as the greatest fighter of all time having become the youngest UFC champion ever, along with many other impressive accolades.
Jones was the first fighter to receive a major sponsorship deal in the UFC
Back in 2011, Jones made history when he knocked out Shogun Rua to become the youngest ever UFC champion, winning the title at just 23 years old.
‘Bones’ was already a big star in the sport but his title win catapulted him into superstardom and he immediately had plenty of big opportunities come his way.
He then defended his title several times over the likes of Rampage Jackson, Rashad Evans, who he claimed hurt him the most of all his opponents, and Chael Sonnen, before booking a defense against Alexander Gustafsson.
However, it was in 2012 when Jones became the face of MMA when he signed a global sponsorship deal with Nike, becoming the first MMA athlete ever to be sponsored by the sports apparel giant.
‘Bones’ then donned the iconic swoosh shorts when he defended his title against Vitor Belfort at UFC 152.
Nike then released a line of Jones signature shoes, which was a huge breakthrough in the world of MMA as it helped with global recognition.
Ahead of his fight against Gustafsson at UFC 165, Jones showed off his new signature shoe even throwing a few pairs into the crowd.
Jones’ deal with Nike dropped after brawl with Daniel Cormier
Following another title defense against Glover Teixeira, Jones was matched up with Daniel Cormier in what was the start of their historic rivalry.
The two ended up getting involved in a huge pre-fight brawl at the UFC 182 press conference which Jones claimed led to Nike dropping his sponsorship.