Can anyone knock out UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones? For over a decade, this question has fueled endless debates in the MMA world—until now. ‘Bones’ burst onto the scene as the youngest champion in UFC history and, more than a decade later, remains at the top of the sport. At 37, he continues to dominate the heavyweight division, with a few more fights possibly left in his legendary career.

Since 2011, Jon Jones dominated the light heavyweight division and is now wreaking havoc as a heavyweight champion, solidifying his legacy as one of the greatest fighters in MMA history. His latest triumph came against former champion Stipe Miocic at UFC’s marquee event in Madison Square Garden, where he sealed the victory with a devastating spinning back kick. But is Jones truly untouchable? Retired UFC welterweight Carlos Condit suggests otherwise. In a recent podcast, ‘The Natural Born Killer’ looked back on his time at Jackson Wink MMA Academy and dropped a bombshell—Jones was once knocked out in training by a rising Chechen powerhouse. Let’s dive into the story.

Who knocked out Jon Jones?

Carlos Condit, a former teammate of Jon Jones at Jackson Wink MMA Academy, recently joined Quinton “Rampage” Jackson on JAXXON Podcast. As a former opponent of ‘Bones’, Jackson couldn’t resist asking, “Real talk—be honest. Have you ever seen anybody get the best of Jon in the gym?” Condit didn’t hold back, revealing an unexpected moment from their training days—what started as an ordinary morning turned into a rare glimpse of ‘Bones’ being bested.

He recalled a sparring session where Chechen fighter Adlan Amagov, known for his devastating spinning back kicks, first took on Condit before moving on to Jon Jones. “You know, we’re in there, you know, tipping and tapping, and then we get this dude—I don’t know if you guys have ever heard of Adlan Amagov. He was like a spinning back kick guy, and he f—–me up. Then, I think a round or two later, he hit Jon with that spinning back kick.” A stunned Jackson immediately reacted, “Did he drop him?” to which Condit simply confirmed, “He dropped him.”

As for ‘Chechen Van Damme’s career, he is a proven knockout artist with a 14-2 MMA record. With a strong kickboxing background, he made his mark in the regional circuits before advancing to Strikeforce in 2011. In just his second Strikeforce bout, Amagov gained recognition in the U.S. by knocking out future UFC title contender Anthony Smith. Following a few more Strikeforce bouts, the UFC absorbed the promotion, bringing Amagov to the big leagues. He had two appearances in the UFC before stepping away from the sport in 2014 to focus on family.

The name Adlan Amagov rings a bell because undefeated middleweight phenom Khamzat Chimaev once made a reference to him, albeit, not in a positive manner. Having already been established in the sport long before Chimaev’s arrival, many compared ‘Borz’ with the ‘Chechen Van Damme’ (and Khabib Nurmagomedov). Not like the comparison, Chimaev stated, “I just broke into the UFC [and]… they started comparing me with Khabib and other fighters. With Adlan Amagov, in particular. Of course, when you achieve some good results, they say saying ‘Oh, he’s is like Khabib or Adlan Amagov…’ But everyone has their own achievement. I’ve got mine, Khabib and Adlan has got theirs… every fighter wants to create his own legacy.”

Is Jones still in touch with Adlan Amagov?

The story of Jon Jones and Adlan Amagov has resurfaced multiple times, but it was ‘Bones’ himself who first made it public. For years, the incident remained a well-kept secret, following the unwritten rule of “what happens in the gym, stays in the gym.” However, in 2018, while visiting Russia, the New Yorker openly spoke to the media about taking a spinning kick from the ‘Chechen Van Damme’.

Since then, Adlan Amagov, who had long retired from MMA, has occasionally been questioned about the incident. In 2021, he finally addressed his relationship with Jon Jones, saying, “We have not been in touch with him for a long time. As I retired from Instagram, I no longer keep in touch with him.” As for the knockout itself, ‘Chechen Van Damme’ clarified, “It happened during sparring. Such things are inconvenient to talk about—they’re just sparring sessions. I never spoke about it, but when he came to Moscow and mentioned it in an interview, everyone started asking me… It was sparring. It happens.”

How do you view Adlan Amagov’s short stint in the UFC? Should the Chechen fighter have stayed longer in the promotion? Had he continued, could he have carved out a lasting legacy? After all, knocking out Jon Jones is no small feat. Share your thoughts below!