Jon Jones Nearly Knocks Out Olympic Champ Gable Stevenson

Jon Jones almost knocked out Gable Stevenson, the Olympic gold wrestling medalist, during a sparring session.
The UFC Heavyweight Champion is working his way back from injury, which forced him to pull out of his UFC 295 title defense against Stipe Miocic. Jones won the vacant heavyweight title after over three years out of the sport when he beat Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 last year. He submitted the Frenchman in the first round to mark a remarkable return to the sport. However, he suffered a pectoral muscle injury, meaning he could not defend his belt.
Jones would undergo surgery while Tom Aspinall worked his way into a title shot. He stopped Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 to put himself in line for the winner of Jones and Miocic. Tom is also the backup at UFC 309 in case either of the fighters pulls out with an injury. Dana White has confirmed that Miocic will retire after this fight regardless.
There are also suggestions that Jones will do the same following his UFC 309 fight against Stipe on November 16. The American intends to go out with a bang, as seen in the following footage. Jones is sparring with the 2020 Olympic gold medalist. Just as Gable tries to get the better of Jones, the latter responds with a knee. Jones issues an apology, and the two then embrace each other, realizing that it could have gotten ugly.
Jones vs. Gable
The signs do look positive for a Jones return. He has not been the most active fighter of late, largely due to his injury problems. While he has hinted that he will walk away from the sport after fighting Miocic, Dana White has previously allayed those fears, stating that fans must wait to see how he will look in the Miocic fight. Jones is at the latter end of his career, whilst Aspinall is in his prime. Fans did not get to see Jones face Francis Ngannou, something they would want to avoid again when it comes to Aspinall.
Ngannou apparently turned down an $8 million offer, which reportedly included a potential fight with Jon Jones. The Predator left the UFC last year, stating that his rights as an independent contractor would have been violated with the offer. He would then sign a deal with the PFL as he will make his debut on October 19 against Renan Ferreira. Dana White has previously ruled out doing any work with Ngannou ever again.
He has also dismissed the possibility of co-promotion with the PFL, given that the UFC outperforms that organization. However, the introduction of the Saudis to the sport could change that. They have indicated their desire to put on the biggest fights in boxing and MMA. That would naturally involve Ngannou and Jones since they are two of the biggest stars. However, that would only depend on various factors, one of which is to see how Jones will look on his return. Based on his sparring session, fans had plenty to say.
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