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Jon Jones and Anthony Johnson were good friends inside and outside the ring. The pair were set to fight at UFC 187 in the main event with 'Bones' title on the line.
However, the scheduled fight never took place since Jones was involved in a hit-and-run. Because of that, the organization decided to strip him off his belt immediately and get him out of the event.
Anthony Johnson instead went on to fight Daniel Cormier, who accepted the fight on short notice with the light heavyweight title on the line. Cormier implemented his ground and pound strategy early on and had a lot of ground control with virtually no resistance from 'Rumble'. A little over two minutes into the third round, he submitted Johnson via rear-naked choke to become champion.
Jon Jones vs. Anthony Johnson promised to be a great fight with the explosive knockout power of 'Rumble' and the striking and grappling prowess of 'Bones'. The pair remained great friends throughout the build-up of the fight and there was no animosity between them.
Take a look at the video:
They even pulled a prank on UFC boss Dana White during their face-off immediately after the press conference. White stood in the middle as the pair arrived from both sides to face-off. They then pretended to push each other and threatened to fight onstage as the helpless president tried to separate them. The pair then broke out into laughter and the UFC boss laughed it off.
Jon Jones honors Anthony Johnson after learning he passed away
Jon Jones always maintained that himself and Anthony Johnson were good friends even when they were set to fight each other. In fact, after his loss to Cormier, Johnson shouted out 'Bones', who was in the crowd and expressed his support for him. Following 'Rumble's' passing, the former UFC light heavyweight champion posted a video compilation to remember him. He captioned it saying:
"Honored to call you a friend, rest in peace King"
The video was a compilation of the prank they pulled on Dana White, and the moment when Anthony Johnson shouted out Jones after his loss to Daniel Cormier. Fans and fellow fighters filled the comments section with tributes to the late great.
Take a look at the video:
