Jon Jones Sparks Outrage Among Fans After Sharing Video Of Himself Shooting A Wild Boar

Jon Jones has come under fire from animal rights activists after he shared a video of himself shooting a wild boar dead during a hunt.

The former 205-pound UFC champion is preparing for his highly-anticipated move up to heavyweight, with many expecting him to fight either Francis Ngannou or current title holder Stipe Miocic.

And when he's not stacking on the pounds in the gym, Jones uses his spare time to go hunting with friends.

But it seems his latest kill has sparked outrage among fans.

PA

In a video shared on his Instagram, Jones can be seen pursuing a wild boar from the window of a helicopter.

With the animal in clear sight, he then shoots it dead with his rifle.

The clip was captioned: "One shot, one kill, lots of bacon. Was an honour hunting with medal of honor recipient Patrick Payne."

But while Jones clearly saw no harm with the footage he was posting, others social media users clearly didn't share the same opinion.

One of his followers replied: "That's not hunting - that's pay to win."

While another added: "Shooting an animal from a helicopter is weak AF, that's not hunting. This is corny."

With one user simply stating: "You can't post this."

Following the backlash, Jones was forced to issue a public apology to his fans - well, sort of.

"I apologise if this video makes some of you guys uncomfortable, at the same time I'm excited for my shipment of meat to get to Albuquerque," he said.

"I took my time with that first shot to make sure the animal did not suffer.

"Bet half you guys that are offended eat sausages and bacon on a daily basis."

Despite the criticism, Jones hasn't taken the video down from Instagram at this point.

You can watch it HERE.

Topics: Jon Jones, UFC News, MMA News, UFC, Australia, MMA

Max Sherry

Max Sherry is a journalist for SPORTbible Australia. After migrating Down Under from London as a teenager, he instantly fell in love with Aussie sport and its culture. From NRL to AFL, cricket to rugby — you name it, Max watches it (with a beer in hand, of course). During his time at Fox Sports, he worked in the football department covering the Premier League, A-League, Socceroos and Matildas. Born a stone's throw away from West Ham's training ground, Max is obviously a die-hard Liverpool fan.

@maxysherry