Every great champion has a moment where they gamble it all and Jon Jones is no different. The consensus MMA GOAT returns to action at UFC 309 against the former heavyweight king Stipe Miocic for what could be the duo’s last rodeo. Reflecting on his illustrious career, Jones has often pointed to the bold decisions that have shaped his legacy.

Among them, one stands out as the riskiest move he ever made without knowing what could happen. Leaving his comfort zone, trusting unproven instincts, or diving into the unknown—Jones embraced a challenge that could have easily derailed his career. However, the 37-year-old took the leap of faith and today is one of the legends of the sport. But what risk did he exactly take? Let us find out.

Jon Jones reveals leap of faith ahead of UFC 309 title clash

Jon Jones’s journey to becoming one of the most dominant fighters in MMA history took a pivotal turn when he arrived in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Drawn by the reputation of Greg Jackson’s gym, Jones made the move in 2009, seeking to refine his raw talent and evolve as a martial artist. It was a bold step for the young fighter, leaving behind his home state of New York to immerse himself into a new environment. Under the guidance of Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn, Albuquerque became the backdrop for Jones’s transformation, molding him into a UFC legend and redefining his career trajectory.

Jones made an appearance for an interview with Ketone-IQ before his UFC 309 clash. During one of the sections, the champion was asked about the biggest risk he had taken in his career. The 37-year-old shared his honest opinion on the whole and had no hesitation in pointing out that his move to Albuquerque was the toughest.

He said, “I would say the biggest risk I’ve ever taken was moving my family out here to Albuquerque New Mexico. Pursuing this MMA career. At the time I knew nothing about Albuquerque or the team. I just knew one of the coaches was creating great athletes and I didn’t know if I would gel with him or not but I’m glad I took the risk because he’s one of my great mentors today and I’m glad I dared.” 

Since the time the MSG main event was announced, both fighters showed a lot of respect for each other. However, their recent social media back and forth has ignited the clash, and ‘Bones’ is ready to take on the challenge. He has now issued a warning to ‘Stone Cold’ before the legendary clash.

Jon Jones is in no mood to show any mercy to Stipe Miocic

Fighters trash-talking against each other before their bout is almost a staple in the UFC and the upcoming MSG main event is no different. It all started when in a UFC 309 promo, Miocic poked fun at Jones, encouraging him to “bring it on, b***h.” That remark touched a chord with Jones, and he responded to ‘Stone Cold’ in his own Instagram story. However, the former heavyweight champion isn’t quite fazed by the back-and-forth, laughing off the incident during the recent UFC 309 media day. He even went on to apologize but the champion seemed disinterested in his apology.

Jones did not shy away from responding to Miocic’s remark and revealed that he surely isn’t forgiving nor forgetting the words uttered by him. He said, “No, I accept his apology. At the end of the day, I don’t think it was sincere at all. ‘He was like, ‘I’m sorry I hurt your feelings and whatnot’, and there was another time. A few months ago, he mentioned, ‘At least my kids will never look at me like an as—le.’ I realized that everyone loves Stipe. He’s a nice guy. He’s a firefighter. Initially, I didn’t to go there with him and have bad blood. But I don’t care about him at all at this point.” Looking at his past performances, Jones performs best when there is a bit of bad blood in the fight.

However, the question is can he repeat the same performance against a legend like Stipe Miocic? That remains to be seen! What do you think about Jones’ life-altering risk and his legacy? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.