‘Don’t Choke Me Out’

Reigning UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones won a 2023 ESPY award for “Best UFC Fighter,” beating out fellow champions Leon Edwards, Islam Makhachev, and Amanda Nunes (retired). Not bad considering “Bones” spent just two minutes inside the cage in his one and only fight since early 2020.

Jones was also nominated for “Best Comeback Athlete” but fell to Jamal Murray, who helped lead Denver Nuggets to the NBA title. Murray, who was in attendance when Jones submitted Ciryl Gane to win the heavyweight title, offered to share the award with “Bones” — so long as he didn’t get choked out.

Have a look:

Here’s the complete list of 2023 ESPY award winners:

Best Team: Kansas City Chiefs
Best WNBA Player: A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
Best UFC Fighter: Jon Jones
Best Comeback Athlete: Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets
Best Athlete, Men’s Sports: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Best Athlete, Women’s Sports: Mikaela Shiffrin, Skiing
Best Championship Performance: Lionel Messi, Argentina — World Cup Final
Best Boxer: Claressa Shields
Best Breakthrough Athlete: Angel Reese, LSU Tigers Women’s Basketball
Best Play: Justin Jefferson with the catch of the century
Best Record-Breaking Performance: LeBron James surpasses Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for NBA career scoring record
Best College Athlete, Men’s Sports: Caleb Williams, USC Football
Best College Athlete, Women’s Sports: Caitlin Clark, Iowa Women’s Basketball
Best Athlete with a Disability: Zach Miller, Snowboarding
Best NFL Player: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Best MLB Player: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
Best NHL Player: Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
Best NBA Player: Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Best Driver: Max Verstappen, F1
Best Soccer Player: Lionel Messi, Argentina/PSG
Best Golfer: Scottie Scheffler
Best Tennis Player: Novak Djokovic
Arthur Ashe Award for Courage: U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team
Jimmy V Award for Perseverance: Liam Hendriks, Chicago White Sox
Pat Tillman Award for Service: Buffalo Bills training staff
Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award: Jrue and Lauren Holiday
Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award: Jordan Adeyemi, Ashley Badis, Rishan Patel

Jones, 35, returns to the Octagon to defend his heavyweight title against former 265-pound champion Stipe Miocic in the UFC 295 pay-per-view (PPV) main event on Sat., Nov. 11, 2023 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

For much more on that upcoming fight click here.