“It Was a Bad Mistake”- Jon Jones Recalls Opponent Camp’s Taunt That Motivated Him for First-Ever UFC Title Win

Jon Jones has already solidified his legacy as one of the all-time greats of the UFC and of MMA. The 35-year-old will look to create history again at UFC 285 when he faces Ciryl Gane for the UFC heavyweight title. The two-time UFC light heavyweight champion had one of the most dominant title reigns in UFC history. ‘Bones’ holds the UFC record for most title fight wins, with 14 wins out of 15 fights.

As he prepares to fight Ciryl Gane this weekend, Jones took a trip down memory lane to tally his accomplishments. In the latest episode of ‘UFC 285 Embedded’, we see the former champion reminisce about some of his light heavyweight title defenses. While talking about those, he mentioned an interesting fact about his very first UFC title fight against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

According to Jones, there was something that Rua’s camp did that specifically motivated him to win that fight the way he did.

Jon Jones reveals motivation behind first title win

In the video, Jones explains how his 23-year-old self saw “Shogun” and his camp make their way to the cage. Jones called that contest “A fight that I’ll never forget.”

Jones also recalled ‘Shogun’s brother walking out with the belt and doing something that specifically set off Jones. He said, “I’ll never forget his brother walking out holding that belt… Man, it was like waving a baby lamb in front of a lion. It was like just putting blood in the water. It was a bad mistake.”

Jones continued, “He reminded me at that moment why I was there and that was to win that belt. He was teasing me. Sure enough, I came out crazy. Flying knee right away and I dominated my first light heavyweight championship.”

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Motivated by the memory of his first title win, Jones added, “I plan on doing the same thing in this one. Coming out, taking destiny by the ba**s and that’s what I’m going to do.”

Jones’ title win against the Brazilian sent him on a path to becoming one of the greatest martial artists of the modern day. At 35, the Albuquerque native still has a lot left to offer and plans on doing great things in the UFC heavyweight division.

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If Jones can tap into his 23-year-old self, fans could be in for another dominant performance with another historic title win. Do you think Jones can repeat his UFC 128 feat at UFC 285? Let us know in the comments below.