Jon Jones isn’t just a UFC champion, he’s almost a living legend walking among mere mortals. At 23, he became the youngest titleholder in UFC history. Since then, he’s only added to his resume by claiming both the light heavyweight crown and the undisputed heavyweight championship. In his 29 professional bouts inside the Octagon, ‘Bones’ has never been submitted or knocked out.

While he has come under fire recently due to the delays in his title unification bout against interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, there’s no denying that even at 37 years old, Jones is a certified nightmare inside the cage. But while fans brace for that collision course, another challenger has stepped up—one who’s never set foot inside the Octagon under UFC lights. His name? Indiana Pacers forward James Johnson. His claim? He can beat Jon Jones, and UFC boss Dana White can’t stop laughing!

James Johnson leaves the MMA world in splits with his bizarre claims about a fight against Jon Jones

According to a recent post shared on Instagram by SportsCenter, “Pacers forward James Johnson has a combined record of 27-0 in both MMA and Kickboxing and is confident he could beat the heavyweight champ.”

The remarks were originally made during an episode of The OGs podcast with NBA legends Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller in late 2024, where James Johnson stated, “I truly, truly believe that… I’ve been doing this my whole life. Like, real training would really be for that groundwork. As far as standing up in a fight, I feel like I got an advantage.”

The comments weren’t exactly new; Johnson first floated the idea back in 2023, claiming he’d only need a year’s training to beat Jon Jones. And when SportsCenter shared the quotes from The OGs on Instagram this time, the MMA community erupted.

Dana White led the charge with the legendary Charlie Murphy laughing GIF from Chappelle’s Show. Analyst and commentator Laura Sanko followed with Will Ferrell’s iconic Anchorman laugh in another GIF. Even Dan Lambert, founder of the legendary MMA gym, American Top Team, chimed in sarcastically with, “And Jones would win a game of horse.”

So, who is James Johnson, really? At 6’7” and 240 pounds, the 38-year-old is no stranger to combat sports. He claims an undefeated record of 27-0 with reportedly 20 wins in kickboxing and 7 in MMA. The catch? There’s zero verified footage or records of those fights. None of them appear on professional databases or sources.

As mentioned above, Johnson has made the same claim going back to 2023. Back then, on the NBA Rookie Life podcast, he had shared, “Like, I’ve been punching and kicking since I was five, six years-old. The opposite for him because he’s been wrestling for that long. Learning all his wrestling moves. As long as I can keep him from going on the floor, I win”

It’s a sentiment echoed by YouTubers, influencers, and barstool brawlers everywhere. Just keep the fight standing, how hard could it be? Well, for most, it’s impossible, especially against a guy like Jon Jones. Even Daniel Cormier, an Olympic-caliber wrestler, found it hard to keep the fight on the feet against ‘Bones’, so what chance could Johnson have?

So, while Jon Jones may not exactly be worried about an NBA star shattering his aura, he’s got another far more pressing matter on his hands. The aforementioned title unification bout. And according to another UFC champion, if ‘Bones’ has no plans to take on Tom Aspinall, there’s only one way forward.

Alexander Volkanovski gives Jones a harsh reality check on what it means to be the “champ”

Jon Jones can join Dana White and the UFC world to laugh off James Johnson’s wild claims. But there’s no brushing off the criticism coming from inside the Octagon. Featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski has seen enough. While sitting down with Mike Perry on the Overdogs podcast, the Aussie champion stated, “If you’re the champ, you defend your belt — it’s a responsibility. You can’t just sit out.”

Jones hasn’t fought since steamrolling Stipe Miocic at UFC 309. That performance was dominant, no doubt. But since then? Radio silence on the Tom Aspinall front, flirtations with retirement, and nearly 200,000 fans signing a petition demanding the UFC strip him of the belt.

As such, Volkanovski made his stance clear, “You need to be reasonably active. You need to fight whoever’s there. If you’ve got an interim champ, that’s a no-brainer. Don’t hold up the division. I know your résumé is incredible. You’re considered the greatest of all time. So if you don’t want to fight, just retire, you’re done.”

It’s a sentiment many fighters and fans are starting to echo. The clock’s ticking, and the division’s growing restless. To wrap things up, James Johnson’s bold claim may have sparked a wave of laughter, but Jon Jones now finds himself at the center of a far more serious conversation. While memes and GIFs mock the NBA forward’s fantasy bout, real frustration is bubbling within the UFC. Legends like Alexander Volkanovski aren’t pulling punches anymore, and neither are the fans.

So, the question isn’t whether Jones can beat a basketball player. That answer’s obvious. The real question is, will he step up and defend what he’s worked his whole career to build? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!