When it comes to generating headlines, Jon Jones rarely stays out of the spotlight for long. Continuing that trend, the retired former two-division UFC champion has once again become the subject of online discussion after sending a direct message to South Korean MMA fighter Hye Yoon Song, prompting fans to speculate about his intentions.

Song recently posted an image on Instagram of herself in shorts, flaunting her toned physique. Many poured in with their reactions. Well, among those who hit the like button on her post was Jon Jones. But that’s not what got people talking. Jones later followed it up with a direct message to the MMA fighter. In his message, he shared the “👀” emoji. While it may not seem like much, the emoji is commonly used to draw attention to something or express sneaky approval. For her part, Song appeared delighted by the interaction with the MMA great. She shared the exchange on her Instagram Story with the caption in Korean: “Is it a dream?”

While Jones’ message was brief and offered little indication of what he truly meant, MMA insider Kevin K interpreted it as the former UFC champion shooting his shot with Hye Yoon Song.

“Jon Jones shooting his shot with 0-2 Korean WMMA fighter Hye Yoon Song 🤣,” Kevin posted on X.

Fighters sliding into other fighters’ DMs is fairly common among UFC fighters. Former light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill admitted to “shooting his shot” with former strawweight champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk in 2023. However, it reportedly became an issue last year after Joanna allegedly confronted Hill’s girlfriend in the VIP lounge at UFC 323, a dispute said to have stemmed from the former champion’s previous romantic interest in the Polish MMA icon.

Also, former bantamweight champion Julianna Peña revealed that Conor McGregor’s teammate Dillon Danis had also asked her out through a DM, an invitation she ultimately turned down. While those are examples of fighters messaging others they’re interested in, Jon Jones famously found himself in a different situation after confronting journalist Amy Kaplan through direct messages following her criticism of him.

Regardless, Jones’ recent DM was enough to ignite debate among fans about his intentions, especially given that the 38-year-old has been engaged to longtime partner Jessie Moses for more than a decade.

Fans weigh in on Jon Jones’ DM to MMA fighter on Instagram

Some fans immediately assumed Jones was flirting. “Lmaooo, he wants some intense training sessions 👀👀,” one user wrote. A fan then commented, “Guy has had a fiancée for about 10 years now btw.”

While fans are speculating that Jon Jones’ reaction could have been romantic, all he shared was a pair of eyes emoji, which doesn’t really clarify what his intentions actually were. Even so, the backlash surrounding him DMing the MMA fighter continued, with many fans bringing up the fact that he’s engaged.

One fan wrote, “I’m sure his wife is pleased,” sarcastically implying she probably wouldn’t be happy to see Jones messaging another woman. Meanwhile, another fan raised an interesting question, “Wait, she messaged him first? Im confused..”

Based on the screenshot, however, it appears Jones reacted to the post Hye Yoon Song shared, meaning he was actually the one who sent the first message. After that, another fan pointed out, “Don’t look up her record 😭.”

Here, the fan was referring to Hye Yoon Song’s underwhelming 0-2 professional MMA record. According to her Tapology profile, she trains at Korean Top Team, a gym that has produced several UFC fighters, including Jun Yong Park and Da Woon Jung, leading many to expect a similar caliber from her. Yoon Song’s last MMA bout came against Honoka Shigeta, and since then, she has competed primarily in kickboxing and grappling.

Amid the reactions, another fan couldn’t resist taking a jab at Jon Jones, writing, “Anything but Gane rematch.” ‘Bones’ famously defeated Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 to win the heavyweight title. So, it’s very unlikely Jones would be poised to return, just to face a man he defeated earlier, even though the Frenchman defeated Alex Pereira at UFC White House.

Aside from a single pair of eyes emojis, the former heavyweight champion did not explain the interaction, making it impossible to know what, if anything, he intended through his message. Still, as one of the sport’s most polarizing figures, even a simple Instagram message was enough to set off another round of speculation among MMA fans.