Top 5: Jon Jones Finishes

Jon Jones owns one of the sport’s deepest highlight reels.

“Bones” became the eighth martial artist in Ultimate Fighting Championship history to capture titles in multiple weight classes when he laid claim to the undisputed heavyweight crown with a first-round guillotine choke submission of Ciryl Gane in the UFC 258 main event on March 4, 2023 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Gane conceded defeat 2:04 into Round 1, having been thoroughly outclassed by one of the greatest fighters of all-time. Jones—in his first appearance in three-plus years—executed a takedown a little more than a minute into the bout, applied his ground-and-pound while climbing into a seated mount position and threaded the needle on the choke. Before Gane realized what was happening, his fate had been sealed.

It was Jones’ first successfully executed submission in more than a decade and ranks as one of his most memorable finishes. Here are four more to consider:

Jon Jones vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua

UFC 128
March 19, 2011 | Newark, New Jersey

Jones handed the beloved Brazilian a savage beating at the Prudential Center, where he captured the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight crown with a third-round technical knockout. Beaten almost beyond recognition, Rua finally wilted 2:37 into Round 3. “Shogun” never stood a chance. Jones secured his first takedown inside the first 30 seconds and patiently brutalized the Chute Boxe product with punches and elbows. Rua stood near the cage at one point, ate a knee to the body, a shin to the face and punches to the head. He wobbled forward and was never the same. Jones landed one of his patented spinning back elbows to open Round 2, caught an attempted leg kick and drove his counterpart to the ground, where elbows and punches to the head and body greeted the battered and broken champion. So complete was Jones’ dominance that he attempted a kneebar on the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt near the end of the period. At the start of the middle stanza, it was clear Rua had little left in the tank. He swooped in for a leg lock, only to wind up on his back. There, he was at the mercy of the challenger. Rua returned to a standing position, as his tormentor backed him into the cage and cracked him with a mean left hook to the body that put him down for good, tapping the mat as he went. With that, Jones’ ascent to the top of the 205-pound weight class was complete.

Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida

UFC 140
Dec. 10, 2011 | Toronto

“Bones” answered the first real adversity of his career in resounding fashion when he choked unconscious to retain the undisputed light heavyweight title in the second round of their main event at the Air Canada Centre. Jones trapped “The Dragon” in a standing guillotine against the cage and put him to sleep 4:26 into Round 2. Machida dented the Rochester, New York, native’s aura in the first round, where he darted in and out, countered effectively and connected with more than one straight left hand. Jones returned to his corner with a look of concern on his face. In the second round, the champion avoided Machida’s strikes, scored with a takedown midway through period and delivered a wicked elbow from the top that left a nasty gash on the Brazilian’s forehead. After the cageside physician checked the cut, the two men engaged again on the feet, and Jones, not known for his punching power, dropped his challenger with a counter left hook. As Machida rose to his feet, the champion pinned him on the fence in a guillotine. Moments later, the karateka went limp and crashed to the canvas after being released from the choke.

Jon Jones vs. Vitor Belfort

UFC 152
Sept. 22, 2012 | Toronto

Jones successfully defended the light heavyweight championship when he put away “The Phenom” with keylock in the fourth round of their headliner at the Air Canada Centre. His arm bent at a grotesque angle, Belfort tapped 54 seconds into Round 4. Against an undersized light heavyweight, Jones was far from flawless. Belfort attacked from his back after succumbing to a first-round takedown and trapped the champion in a tight armbar. Jones escaped after a brief struggle but remained in visible pain in the immediate aftermath of the fight. Once Jones freed himself, he settled into Belfort’s guard and hammered away at the Brazilian with his trademark elbow strikes from top position. It was not long before blood was flowing. Belfort’s situation did not improve. Jones kept him contained on the feet—he even dropped him with a side kick to the solar plexus in the third round—and battered him on the ground. Belfort elected to pull guard on a number of occasions, but the tactic did not serve him well. Less than a minute into the fourth round, Jones jumped into a topside crucifix, isolated the challenger’s arm and finished the fight with the keylock. Belfort had not been submitted since Alistair Overeem dismissed him with a guillotine choke under the Pride Fighting Championships banner some seven years earlier.

Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson

UFC 232
Dec. 29, 2018 | Inglewood, California

The Greg Jackson protege reclaimed the undisputed light heavyweight crown when he punched out the Swede in the third round of their rematch at The Forum. Gustafsson succumbed to blows 2:02 into Round 3 and fell to 0-2 in his head-to-head series with “Bones.” Jones was again masterful inside the cage. Gustafsson too often found himself stuck in between, either too far away to do damage with his hands or close enough to be drawn into rabbit-hole clinches with his rival. Jones kept him at bay with continuous kicks to the legs and body, all while remaining out of punching range. Early in the third round, he swooped in for a takedown, elbowed Gustafsson from half guard and utilized a half nelson to transition to the back. Once he secured his position, Jones dropped punches on “The Mauler” until referee Mike Beltran had seen enough.