‘Give Her Jon Jones’: NFL Cheerleader’s Shadow Boxing at AT&T Stadium Wows Fans and Ex-UFC Champ

Whether it’s a kid showing slick jiu-jitsu moves or someone throwing sharp combos on the mitts, there’s something captivating about seeing the next generation shine. But this time, it wasn’t a young fighter in a gym that stole the spotlight—it was a 14-year-old NFL cheerleader.

During a game at AT&T Stadium, a video of her shadowboxing on the sidelines went viral, and it didn’t take long for MMA fans to take notice Her technique? Crisp. Her speed? Impressive. And her confidence? Off the charts. The reactions were so hyped, that people started joking that she was ready for the ultimate test: UFC. Even a former world champ couldn’t help but be impressed.

Meet “Mighty Mia” Pinney, a 14-year-old amateur boxing champ who also happens to be a cheerleader. During a youth football game at AT&T Stadium, her dad (and coach), Jordan Pinney, filmed her throwing sharp combos in full cheer gear.

Mia, the national champ in the 75- and 85-pound weight classes, didn’t expect much from the quick video. “I was like, ‘Dad, now’s not the time,’” she laughed. But the clip exploded, racking up 380,000 likes and even catching ESPN’s attention.

Jordan admits he was hesitant about his daughter cheerleading at first but now sees how it’s helped her grow. Mia’s now setting her sights on the 2024 USA Boxing Nationals and, beyond that, the 2028 Olympics. “I just kept showing up, even on the hard days,” Mia said. 

Needless to say, as the video went viral, people started flocking to the replies. 

One fan said, “She in the wrong sport” urging her to take a hard look at pugilism.

“Pom punch, cheer hook, and Spirit Jab. They in trouble”- said an impressed fan hilariously combining her talents at boxing and cheerleading. 

Of course, the next normal response was to ensure she could hone in on her talents. Like Luke Skywalker was sent to Dagobah to train with Master Yoda, this fan suggested sending Mia to the land where UFC champions drop off the assembly line. “2-3 years in Dagestan and forget”, he said. 

A fan tagged former UFC champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk and said “is that you lol” to which she replied, “she’s better.”

Finally, a fan gave her the ultimate compliment saying, “I’ve seen enough, Give her Jon Jones”

Unfortunately, the way things look right now, Mia might have to wait till she graduates middle high school before Jones would agree to a fight with her. 

Jones throws another curveball at the UFC 

Jones still doesn’t seem all that excited about facing Tom Aspinall anytime soon—and the latest buzz suggests he’s made some pretty wild demands if the UFC wants to make that unification fight happen.

At 37, ‘Bones’ may be the UFC heavyweight champion but has only fought twice in five years. To make matters worse, since winning the heavyweight title in 2023, he has only defended it once, that too against an aging Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 late last year. 

He has also categorically maneuvered around not fighting the interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. This means that the UFC heavyweight division currently has two champions, both of whom have held the belt for over 400 days without ever facing each other to unify the title.

Aspinall, of course, has been willing to duke it out with the Rochester native, but the perceived GOAT of MMA has been throwing curveballs since returning to action last year.

At first, he had claimed not to want to do any business with the Brit. During the post-PPV press conference at UFC 309, he had said, “My life is perfect without him; I don’t need him at all. He needs me, and that’s a good place to be in a negotiation“, claiming that the promotion needed to pay him life-changing money to even consider it.

And now months after the PPV, Ariel Helwani has shared that Jones wants six months of prep time after the fight is locked in, much to the amusement of fans and analytics everywhere. 

“What do you mean he needs six months?”, UFC veteran Chael Sonnen said, sounding genuinely irked. “Six months from when? Six months starting when? Dare do I guess? You mean from right now, don’t you? Anything that I’m saying aside from six months from now is silly.”, he continued. 

Meanwhile, Aspinall has asserted that he’s now bored of all the talk about Jones and just wants to fight. To be fair, at this point, he has more of a chance of squaring up against little Mia than Jones.