Jon Jones fact-checked by Community Notes after claiming to be oldest current UFC champion
Jon Jones may have sparked all sorts of valid debates about pound-for-pound rankings and legacy after beating Stipe Miocic at UFC 309, but one thing will always remain true: facts are facts.
Jones, 37, returned to the octagon on Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York for his second heavyweight title fight and soundly defeated former champion Miocic, 42, by third-round TKO.
Age was a hot topic going into the fight, considering Jones was publicly (and still is) opposed to fighting Tom Aspinall, 31, who holds and has defended the interim title in the division. Oddsmakers, pundits and fans expected Jones to roll over a past-his-prime Miocic, and that’s exactly what happened.
Coming out of the fight, Jones has kept age at the forefront of discussion, but now, he’s using it in his favor – or at least attempting to.
“In 2011, I became the youngest champion in UFC history,” Jones wrote on X. “Today, I’m proud to stand as the oldest champion on the roster.. Age is just a number when your mind and spirit stay sharp.”
In 2011, I became the youngest champion in UFC history. Today, I’m proud to stand as the oldest champion on the roster.. Age is just a number when your mind and spirit stay sharp.
— Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) November 27, 2024
The first sentence of Jones’ tweet is factual. He became the youngest UFC champion in history by defeating Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 128 when he was 23.
However, the second sentence is not, and Jones became a victim of the infamous Community Notes on X, which serves as a means to fact check claims on the platform.
Jones is younger than current UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, coincidentally, the same person who could end up being Jones’ next opponent if the UFC decides to throw all meaning of an interim title out of the window.
Jones was born on July 19, 1987. Pereira was born on July 7 of the same year, making “Poatan” 12 days older than “Bones.”
Whether it was a miscalculation or an oversight, Jones got hit facts incorrect on this one. Even if the difference is less than two weeks, the numbers are what they are.
To Jones’ credit, the overall theme of the message is truly impressive.
Inside the cage, Jones has created an amazing pro career that began in 2008. He fought six times that year on the regional scene and made his UFC debut in his seventh fight at UFC 87 in August. He became the youngest UFC champion, won a title in a second division at 35, and largely appears to be the same dominant force.