Jon Jones was so star-struck heading into one of his biggest fights to date that he struggled to sleep before getting in the octagon. Before becoming a legend and winning world titles in two weight divisions, Jones was pursuing the title of youngest champion in UFC history as a light-heavyweight. He achieved that in March of 2011 and had to defend against Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson.
His brother, Chandler Jones, recounted how he and Jon would watch Jackson before the fight, trying to make sense of how to defeat him. Despite the nerves, the younger Jones managed to get it done with a submission in the fourth round and continue a winning streak that has lasted to this day.
It is no secret that Jon Jones found the Rampage Jackson fight to be one of the most stressful in his career. He admitted to Steve-O during an episode of his Wild Ride podcast that he even made changes to his opening fight tactic to avoid what had haunted him in his nightmares.
“I kept having these nightmares before fighting Rampage Jackson that I would get knocked out,” he shared with the famous TV stuntman and prankster. “No matter how the fight played out, I would get knocked out in the first 30 seconds.”
Jones described vivid scenarios in his dreams where he was hit by an overhand right, a right uppercut, or a left hook, each leading to an inevitable knockout. On the night of the fight, he felt the same fear gripping him, prompting him to pray deeply and touch himself from head to toe.
As he prayed, he imagined being covered in white feathers, a surreal and comforting image that carried him through to the cage. “I felt like I walked into that Rampage Jackson fight as the featherman for the first time,” he stated. His idea to crawl toward Rampage was the one scenario that hadn’t played out in his nightmares since all fights begin on their feet.
The depth of Jones’ fear regarding the fight was revealed years later when his brother Chandler detailed how serious the build-up had been. Appearing on Jackson’s own podcast, he explained that the nightmares were causing Jon to lose a significant amount of sleep.
“I’m Jon’s little brother, so I know who he fanboys over,” the younger Jones explained during his interview with Jackson. “And before y’all’s fight, he couldn’t sleep. I don’t give a f*** who, I’m looking you in your eyes; I’m not blinking.”
He continued, “I don’t care who he fought, or who has the bigger name—whatever. I’m talking about to this day, he could not sleep. We had all been fans of you before he ever fought in the UFC. Before he became a UFC fighter, we were picking you in the UFC game. I just want to let you know that.”
