UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones and fellow all-time MMA great Fedor Emelianenko got a chance to greet one another, and “Bones” was quite happy.
Jones has already gotten a chance to rub shoulders with the likes boxing legend Mike Tyson and MMA royalty Georges St-Pierre. Jones has also long had respect for “The Last Emperor.” This past weekend, he got to pay his respects to Emelianenko in a wholesome meeting between the two.
It all went down in the midst of the PFL vs. Bellator: Champs event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Jon Jones & Fedor Emelianenko Have Friendly Meeting
The meeting between Jones and Fedor on Saturday was filmed, and it was quite wholesome. It was clear that Jones was appreciative of the opportunity to once again speak with Emelianenko. Peep the two legends greeting each other below:
Jon Jones showing love to Fedor Emelianenko last night at #PFLvsBellator in Saudi Arabia:
“I love you Fedor. You’re one of my favorites always, forever.”
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 25, 2024
This isn’t the first time Jones has shown his respect for Fedor. Back in 2021. “Bones” and Fedor spoke on FaceTime. Jones congratulated Emelianenko on returning to the cage for a Bellator fight in Moscow, Russia. Emelianenko ended up winning that fight, knocking out Timothy Johnson in the first round.
During his recent interaction with “The Last Emperor,” Jon Jones showed his love for the former PRIDE heavyweight champion.
“Fedor, I love you, Fedor,” Jones said. “You’re one of my favorites always, forever. You and Alexander. Tell your brother I said, ‘Hello.'”
Fedor retired after he was unable to dethrone Ryan Bader for the Bellator heavyweight gold back in February 2023. With that said, Bellator had a nice sendoff for Fedor, which featured a slew of legends sharing the cage with “The Last Emperor” to pay their respects.
Jones has been recovering from a torn pectoral muscle, which derailed plans for a heavyweight title defense against Stipe Miocic at UFC 295. “Bones” recently claimed that he was offered to fight at UFC 300, but he simply wasn’t going to be ready in time for April 13.
