top of page
Fighter Focus
An undisputed top-class fighter in the octagon, considered by many to be the best of all time, but also one of the most controversial figures in the sport due to numerous scandals outside of combat sports: Today in Fighter Focus: Jon "Bones" Jones.
Aleksandar "Rocket" Rakic
Born the son of a priest in Rochester, New York, young Jonathan Jones was supposed to follow in his father's footsteps and pursue a career in the church. But Jon, like his three siblings, had other ideas. The Joneses' genes must be athletic, as both of his brothers are professional American football players. He himself also played football in his youth, but began wrestling in college and eventually became a New York State Champion.
Jon studied Criminal Law, which many fight fans might chuckle to themselves, as Jon is said to have found himself on the other side of the law several times during his life. But more on that later...
Youth and private life
Born the son of a priest in Rochester, New York, young Jonathan Jones was supposed to follow in his father's footsteps and pursue a career in the church. But Jon, like his three siblings, had other ideas. The Joneses' genes must be athletic, as both of his brothers are professional American football players. He himself also played football in his youth, but began wrestling in college and eventually became a New York State Champion.
Jon studied Criminal Law, which many fight fans might chuckle to themselves, as Jon is said to have found himself on the other side of the law several times during his life. But more on that later...
Vom Ring zum Oktagon: Der Weg ins MMA
Mit Anfang 20 wollte Aleksandar mehr. Mehr als nur Kicks, mehr als Punkte auf der Scorecard. Er wagte den Sprung ins MMA – und kassierte bei seinem Debüt prompt eine Aufgabe-Niederlage. Viele wären zurück ins sichere Kickboxen geflüchtet. Nicht Rakic. Er kämpfte sich durch die europäische MMA-Szene, zerlegte Gegner in Wien, Linz, Deutschland und Osteuropa. Jeder Kampf wurde ein Mosaikstein in seiner Entwicklung: besseres Ringen, mehr Geduld, härtere Disziplin. Und es zahlte sich aus.
Youngest champion of all time
Shortly after his fight against former Ultimate Fighter winner Ryan Bader, it became public that Rashad Evans, a training partner of Jones's at the time and originally fighting for the light-heavyweight title, had suffered a knee injury, prompting a search for a new opponent for Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. Fast forward: Jon Jones received the title shot and had the opportunity to become the youngest champion of all time.
Invincible Champion
Doch gerade als er auf dem Sprung zum Titelkampf stand, schlug das Schicksal zu: Im Fight gegen Ex-Champ Jan BÅ‚achowicz riss ihm das Kreuzband. Die Folge: Fast zwei Jahre Pause. Für viele Kämpfer bedeutet das das Ende – nicht für Aleksandar. Er kämpfte sich zurück ins Training, zurück in die Form. Zwar verlor er 2024 gegen die Top-Contender JiÅ™í Procházka und Ankalaev – doch wer genau hinsieht, erkennt: Rakić ist wieder da. Stark. Gefährlich. Und hungrig.
Wo steht Rakić heute – und was bringt die Zukunft?
A planned rematch against Gustaffson unfortunately fell through due to an injury to the latter, but for fight fans, this marked the beginning of one of the most legendary rivalries of all time: Jon Jones versus Daniel "DC" Cormier. Cormier is another national wrestling champion and even finished fourth for the USA at the Olympic Games in Athens.
Fazit
A planned rematch against Gustaffson unfortunately fell through due to an injury to the latter, but for fight fans, this marked the beginning of one of the most legendary rivalries of all time: Jon Jones versus Daniel "DC" Cormier. Cormier is another national wrestling champion and even finished fourth for the USA at the Olympic Games in Athens.
bottom of page