UFC 239 was an emotional night for Jon Jones even before he entered the Octagon to successfully defend his light heavyweight championship against Thiago Santos. That is because his very close friend and training partner Holly Holm lost via TKO to UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes in the co-main event of the evening. In a post-fight media scrum, Jones opened up on his emotions immediately following Holm’s crushing defeat:
“It was very hard for me to witness that,” Jones said. “Mentally, I had to be prepared for anything. I’ve had a few nights where my teammates have come up short. And my coaches always tell me, ‘Jon, you just need to keep your head in the game.’ It was tough for all of us because the room was just so silent. The room was just so silent.
“And I just told the coaches, ‘Hey, listen, let’s get back on our horse, and we gotta continue this battle.’ And they did. And we ultimately won the last match of the night.”
Jon Jones had an opportunity to address his dear friend directly following the loss with some positive words as a pick-me-up for Holm following such a major letdown:
“I told her I was really proud of her. And I told her, just being a woman that’s willing to go out there on national TV and face someone like Ronda Rousey and face the Amanda Nuneses of the world, like, dude….that’s Barbie doll worthy. Little girls should have Barbies of Holly Holm because she is truly courageous. And it takes a lot to do what she’s doing, to be vulnerable in front of the world. I told her she has nothing to hang her head about.”
Do you believe Holly Holm will receive another opportunity at UFC gold in the future?
