Jon Jones became the UFC heavyweight champion Saturday night in Las Vegas with his fiancee, Jessie Moses, in attendance to support him.
Moses’ appearance likely came as a shock to MMA fans who follow Jones closely given the last time he publicly acknowledged her was in February 2022, when he announced on Twitter that she left him for good shortly after an alleged domestic violence incident at a Las Vegas resort. But there she was in a bright pink business suit kissing Jones before he stepped into the octagon at T-Mobile Arena.
In September 2021, Jones was arrested and booked into jail by Las Vegas police on charges of misdemeanor battery domestic violence and felony injuring and tampering with a vehicle hours after he was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame’s fight wing. According to a police report, Jones left Moses bloodied after he allegedly assaulted her inside a room at Caesars Palace with their three children present. The domestic violence charge was later dropped as part of a plea deal with prosecutors.
After Jones’ first-round submission of Ciryl Gane in Saturday’s main event, Moses entered the octagon. Jones gave special thanks to her during his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.
“I want to thank my beautiful fiancee Jessie for being my biggest support,” Jones said. “I love you so much – my biggest supporter.”
Earlier in UFC 285 fight week, Jones declined to address the incident when asked about it at media day. He opened up some during the ESPN+ post-fight show after host Michael Eaves brought up “run-ins with police, including here in Las Vegas,” a reference to the alleged domestic violence against Moses, during a question about returning from a three-year layoff filled with hurdles.
We all have our past, and thank God that he’s making me the man that I am today,” Jones said. “Me and my family are better than we ever have been. I just thank God so much for him using me to let other people see that none of us are perfect, and that despite your downfalls, the sky is the limit for those who don’t give up, for those who know how to get down on their knees and pray. And I thank God for this platform. It means the world to me.”
After three years away from the octagon, the former Light Heavyweight king, Jones, claimed the Heavyweight title last night (Sat., March 4, 2023) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, by making easy work of Ciryl Gane in less than three minutes when he submitted him with a guillotine choke
While sometimes, a fighter’s next opponent is up in the air immediately after a fight, that is not the case for Jones. Instead, former Heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic is up next, and if all goes right, it will be during 2023 International Fight Week at UFC 290.
During the UFC 285 post-fight press conference, Jones advised Miocic ahead of their matchup.
“The next fight is going to be awesome. I say it respectfully to Stipe, I would take time off from being a firefighter right now. I mean that with all due respect,” Jones told the media. “My whole world is going to be focused on him. This is the biggest opportunity in my life to beat the heavyweight G.O.A.T. I’m going to give it everything I got, absolutely everything I got.
Stipe is talking about how he’s heavier than me right now. His head is already in the wrong spot if he thinks weightlifting is going to beat me. He’ll never be younger than he is right now. He’ll never be faster. I’m going to not only beat Stipe Miocic, I’m going to finish Stipe Miocic before the championship rounds”.
Last year, Miocic was sworn in as a full-time firefighter for the Westlake Fire Department after being a firefighter for several years. So, besides being one of the baddest men walking the planet right now, he is helping his city.
Miocic has been out of action since losing the Heavyweight title to Francis Ngannou via knockout in 2020 (watch). However, he is chomping at the bit to fight Jones next.