UFC heavyweight champion has had a love-hate relationship with fans over the years. While a large number of them continue to sing his praises courtesy of his legendary fights at 205 lbs, his stagnant heavyweight reign has mostly been met with disdain. Regardless, the Rochester native remains cordial during public appearances, at least with younger fans.
Earlier this week, Jones broke Stipe Miocic’s record of holding on to heavyweight gold for 784 days. However, during this time, he has only fought twice, with one tile defence to his name.
More so, he continues to evade the interim champion Tom Aspinall, causing sparks to fly among fans every time he appears online.
So when Red Corner MMA posted a throwback video of his last visit to Thailand for a seminar, UFC fans were up to their usual antics.
The video was wholesome, small kids approaching Jones asking for high fives, with one cleverly quipping that ‘Bones’ was his second favorite fighter, only behind his father.
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Despite the adorable interaction, an Instagram user responded to the video with a rather bitter response. ““My dad” jones didn’t give a fuck”, he said.
But Jones was not about to be painted as the villain. He responded to the comment saying, “yes I did.”
Jon Jones silences a fan pic.twitter.com/8wTCx8DItg
— THE UFCGUY (@the_ufcguy) April 26, 2025
This isn’t the first time Jones has taken time out of his schedule for a young fan, either. Ahead of his first title defense against Miocic at UFC 309 last year, Jones made a kind gesture during the press conference that won fans over.
Jones makes a sick kid’s day
‘Bones‘ has never been the best role model, with the assault cases and the multitude of drug-related suspensions. However, over the year few years, the Rochester native has claimed to have turned a new page, becoming a god-fearing man again and crediting the almighty for turning him away from his self-destructive ways.
Whether or not this new persona is a result of self-reflection in the final part of his career or a way to pander to the masses remains subject to debate. But it certainly has had its feel-good moments.
Ahead of his UFC 309 press conference, ‘Bones’ seemingly ran into a young fan diagnosed with cancer. This fan, probably late to the party, couldn’t get tickets to watch Jones return to the octagon after a year.
So, during the press conference, in the midst of answering questions about why he wasn’t fighting Aspinall, Jones took the opportunity to ask UFC boss Dana White for a favor.
“I met earlier today, he was diagnosed with cancer recently, and Dana, I’m wondering can you get him tickets to my fight?” he requested.
He then pointed to the fan who was in the stands watching the press conference, as the reporters cheered him on. White responded positively, and the young man was able to watch as his hero defeated Miocic in the third round.
