UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones is arguably the best fighter to have ever stepped inside the UFC octagon. Over 15 years inside the UFC octagon, “Bones” has been one of the most dominant forces in the promotion. But could he have found someone who would finally give him a run for his money?

Jones attended an event held by Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA, where he encountered a Taekwondo specialist who might have made the UFC champ think twice about attending the event. Here is what happened to “Bones.”

Jon Jones had suffered a pectoral injury just two weeks before going into the fight against Stipe Miočić at UFC 295. Since then, on his road to recovery, Jones has been making rounds around the world and the internet. And it looks like the 27-1 (1NC) fighter looks like he has been enjoying his time away from the Octagon.

Red Corner MMA shared a clip of the encounter between the heavyweight champions and Taekwondo athlete Courtney Eardley (a.k.a. taekwondotechnician) from the Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA event. Captioning the video, “Jon Jones almost got knocked out by @taekwondotechnician,” Eardley first seemed to size Jones up before attempting her kick. As Eardley showcased her incredible striking, however, the overhead kick seemed too close for comfort, which led to the heavyweight champion flinching like he was holding on to dear life.

After submitting Ciryl Gane in just over two minutes in his most recent UFC outing – on March 5, 2023 – he became the UFC heavyweight champion. He only absorbed six significant blows in the fight and landed five himself. But what made the difference was his ground game and takedowns. Following UFC 285, Jones said, “That’s something I’ve been doing my whole life, wrestling and grappling. My jiu-jitsu and wrestling confidence is at an all-time high.”

Elaborating on his new risk-averse technique, the 36-year-old added, “That’s just maybe my style moving forward, getting away from all the kickboxing. I want to save brain cells, and fighting on the ground is just a lot more advantageous.” Although taekwondo doesn’t involve a lot of ground fighting, its combination with jiu-jitsu and wrestling can make for a very effective one.

Maybe, after this encounter, Jones might add taekwondo to his arsenal. Needless to say, he was quite appreciative of Courtney Eardley’s skill. Speaking of UFC 285 and his subsequent injury, the heavyweight champion’s fight against Stipe Miočić was canceled. In a fight for the interim champion crown, Tom Aspinall knocked out Sergei Pavlovich. And speaking of Aspinall, something else that seems to have intrigued fans was the interaction between Aspinall and Jones.

Post Jon Jones – Francis Ngannou Face Off, Tom Aspinall Makes Bold Claim of Heavyweight GOAT Status – “I Want to Win the Undisputed”

Tom Aspinall opened up about his run-in with Jon Jones

Jon Jones made an appearance in Birmingham as he was promoting an event for the clothing brand YoungLA, for whom he is currently an ambassador. This was during the Arnold Sports Festival, where Tom Aspinall was in attendance, too. As the two met, the Brit put his hand on Jones’ shoulder and asked, “Are we going to do this thing? I would love to have the honor one day, respect man.” 

After Jones replied, “Maybe one day,” Aspinall certainly took some notes from their meeting. He said, “That was the first time I’ve met him. He’s nowhere near as big as I thought. I thought he was a lot taller.”

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“I guess when you fight at light heavyweight your whole career – I mean, he’s 6’4” – you look really tall. But I’m a full-grown heavyweight, aren’t I? He’s nowhere near as big as me… I’ll take that one. I think I’ll beat him, definitely,” added Aspinall after his encounter with the UFC heavyweight champion.

Do you think that fight fans will get to witness Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall fight one another in the UFC? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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