UFC legend Jon Jones has at last shared the full account of a lesser-known setback – a knockout suffered during a sparring session against a former UFC welterweight.
While his official professional record includes a disqualification loss to Matt Hamill in 2009, which many view as a controversial call based on a now-amended rule, this sparring incident represents his only acknowledged “defeat” from a strike.
For years, rumors have circulated about Jones being knocked out outside of competition. He has now verified these stories, even noting the specific technique used against him – a move he would later successfully employ himself.
The Sparring Session: Adlan Amagov Delivers Knockout Blow
Jones explicitly confirmed that Adlan Amagov was the fighter who knocked him out during a sparring session in Albuquerque more than ten years ago. The account first emerged publicly from former interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit, who reportedly experienced a similar fate against Amagov.
According to accounts, Amagov landed a powerful spinning back kick that dropped Condit during an early morning sparring session. Just a few rounds later, he repeated the move, knocking down Jones, a fighter rarely seen troubled inside the cage.
In a social media video, Jones recounted the event to an acquaintance of Amagov. Speaking in somewhat broken English, he stated, “Adlan Amagov KO’d me, very true story. Spinning back kick, boom, me down. It’s okay, sometimes it happens.” He added a playful challenge: “But next time… One day, Carlos Condit and me, Adlan, two people.”
Origin of the Rumor and Its Significance
Carlos Condit was reportedly the first to share details of the sparring incident publicly, recounting it on the Jaxxon Podcast with Rampage Jackson. This particular story seems to be the sole documented instance of Jon Jones being stopped by strikes in any training or competitive setting.
“He was a spinning back kick guy and he really messed me up,” Condit recalled when asked if anyone in the gym had managed to get the better of Jones. “And then I think a round or two later, he hit Jon with that spinning back kick and he dropped him. Nah [he didn’t get kicked out], he stayed around.”
Interestingly, the spinning back kick is a technique Jones later incorporated into his own arsenal, notably using it to secure a knockout victory over Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 in November to claim the heavyweight title.
Percy Harlow