Jon Jones has experienced plenty of memorable moments throughout his legendary career, but one compliment from a man he deeply respected has stayed with him long after it was given.
During a recent appearance at the IBA Bare Knuckle 5 staredowns, Jones reflected on the time Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, father of UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov, called him “God’s gift” during his light heavyweight reign.
“I’ll never forget that,” Jones said. “I’ll never forget that. And I’m honored to have such a compliment come from such a respected man, a proven man. I actually believe what he says. It means more because I’m a Christian. He’s Muslim. And for him to feel that way about me, it says a lot.”
The moment clearly carried significant weight for Jones, not just because of who Abdulmanap was within combat sports, but because of the cross-cultural nature of the recognition.
Jones was on hand at the IBA Bare Knuckle 5 staredowns ahead of a major card, and was soaking in an atmosphere he described as feeling like a family reunion, surrounded by athletes from the team including Islam Makhachev, Umar Nurmagomedov, and others connected to the same world that produced Khabib.
Jones also weighed in on Khamzat Chimaev’s recent loss, expressing genuine sympathy for the athlete and offering some analysis on what went wrong.
“It was hard to see him lose. I think when he got taken down and he was on his back, that was the main shift. He’s not used to being in that position. He’s usually the dominant one.”
Jones added that if he were in Chimaev’s position, he would focus on working from his back, developing a stronger jiu-jitsu guard game, and spending time on the mental recovery that follows a loss.
The former light heavyweight and heavyweight champion, who is preparing to host an upcoming IBA Bare Knuckle event in Miami in July, described the event as an opportunity to bridge American and Russian communities.
“I love that combat sports brings people together,” he said. “Sports give people the reason to allow politics to get behind us and to remember that we’re all human beings at the end of the day.”
Jones also touched on the UFC’s recent White House event, saying it humbled him and reinforced just how far mixed martial arts has come.
“When I first started MMA, we weren’t allowed to compete in New York State. People looked at it as being taboo, a very weird thing to do. And now it’s like a very honorable sport to be a part of, probably one of the most honorable sports to be a part of right now in history.”
