Jon Jones didn’t take long to delete his tweet praising UFC heavyweight Parker Porter just seconds before his loss to Justin Tafa at UFC 284.
Porter and Tafa battled on the UFC 284 main card on Saturday in Perth, Australia. It was a matchup of two heavyweights who are often involved in quick outings inside the Octagon, win or lose.
Tafa made quick work of Porter with a big punch just over a minute into the fight. He earned a first-round knockout in front of his fellow Australians and has now won back-to-back fights.
Jones was paying close attention to the heavyweight battle ahead of his vacant heavyweight title fight at UFC 285. He heavily favored Porter in the matchup, but the fight’s result led to a swift backtrack.
Jon Jones Pivots On Praise Of UFC 284’s Parker Porter
As screenshotted by Twitter user Nick Young, Jones appeared to walk back and delete his praise of Porter after his knockout loss to Tafa.
“Let’s go Parker Porter, pulling for you big dog,” Jones said in a since-deleted tweet.
Porter entered the fight looking to get back in the win column after a loss to Jailton Almeida last May. After a three-fight win streak, he’s now lost back-to-back fights over the past year.
Jones and Porter squared off in the cage early on in their professional careers. At WCF 3 in 2008, Jones earned a first-round knockout in just 36 seconds.
Jones has gone on to become an all-time great during his MMA career and will look to add to his legacy at UFC 285. He’s looking to become the UFC’s latest multi-division champion.
Almost 15 years after their fight, Jones wanted to see his former foe Porter put on a show at UFC 284. However, Porter’s knockout loss led Jones to attempt to hide any history of his positive gesture.