How Many Title Defenses Does Jon Jones Have?

Jon "Bones" Jones, born on July 19, 1987, in Rochester, New York, United States, is considered by many to be one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time. He started his athletic career with a strong foundation in wrestling, even winning a national title at Iowa Central Community College. Jones began his MMA journey in 2008 and immediately showed just how versatile a fighter he could be. His early career wins came via a mix of wrestling and striking, leading to a shiny 6-0 record that caught the attention of the UFC.

Jon Jones made his UFC debut in 2008, defeating Andre Gusmao by a unanimous decision. In 2011, at just 23 years of age, Jones became the youngest champion in UFC history after defeating Mauricio "Shogun" Rua for the light heavyweight title. He would successfully defend this title on multiple occasions, setting consecutive defense records for the division and further cementing his position among the best to have competed inside an octagon. In 2020, he vacated his light heavyweight title to pursue a career in the heavyweight division that eventually set up a long-awaited showdown with Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 in 2023. In this fight, Jones came out and effortlessly submitted Gane to claim the heavyweight title. He is now gearing up for his first title defense in the heavyweight division against the former two-time UFC heavyweight champion, Stipe Miocic, at UFC 309 on November 16, 2024.

Jon Jones Title Defenses

Since becoming the light-heavyweight champion against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in March 2011, Jon Jones has defended the 205 lb title a whopping 12 times before moving up to heavyweight. However, Jones' second victory over Daniel Cormier was later changed to a no-contest after he tested positive for banned substances, officially reducing his number of title defenses to 11 on record.

Jones went on to defend the light-heavyweight title multiple times against top contenders like Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Lyoto Machida, and Rashad Evans, showcasing his dominance in the octagon. His rivalry with Daniel “DC” Cormier, beginning in 2015, became one of the most intense in UFC history. Their first bout at UFC 182 ended with a unanimous decision win for Jones, making him the first to take down Cormier. Their rematch at UFC 214 saw Jones winning via knockout but the result was later overturned due to a positive drug test for Turinabol, an anabolic steroid, leading to his third suspension. Jones was stripped of his title and faced scrutiny over his doping violations.

Despite these setbacks, Jones returned to the octagon, often reclaiming or defending his title with wins over formidable fighters like Alexander Gustafsson and Dominick Reyes, until finally moving up to the heavyweight division in 2023.