UFC superstar Jon Jones apologised for making people "uncomfortable" after he shared a video of himself in a helicopter, shooting dead a wild pig during an organised hunt.
"One shot, one kill, lots of bacon," is the first caption on the Instagram video - which shows Jones tracking the animal with a rifle, then stopping it with a single shot. The long-time UFC light-heavyweight champ follows up by pulling the trigger on a few extra shots into the prone beast.
"Bro he was out!" replied one commenter. "Just like DC [Daniel Cormier] went face-first to the cage, even with the unnecessary extra hits."
However there was a mixed reaction from others on social media. "That's not hunting - that's pay to win," said one of Jones's followers.
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"Shooting an animal from a helicopter is weak AF, that's not hunting. This is corny," said another.
Others supported Jones, complimenting his accurate shooting skills, saying wild pigs are a pest in the US that need to be controlled or claiming that - if you eat pork - you can't really criticise 'Bones's actions.
But there were clearly enough complaints for Jones to issue a - qualified - apology in a later message.
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"I apologise if this video make some of you guys uncomfortable, at the same time I'm excited for my shipment of meat to get to Albuquerque," the 33-year-old 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 sausage and bacon on a weekly basis."
Jones - who hasn't fought in the Octagon in 11 months, as he's packing on muscle for a planned move up to the heavyweight division in 2021 - at least got support from his fellow UFC star Holly Holm. The former women's bantamweight champion replied: "Awesome!!!" to Jones's video.
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The man labelled by some as MMA's GOAT is a hunting and firearms enthusiast. He's also had a controversial life outside of the Octagon with drug test failures and an arrest for a hit and run incident in 2015.
Jones claims he now weighs around 250lb and is expected to enter the UFC's heavyweight division soon - with the eventual aim of challenging the winner of the reported March matchup pitting champion Stipe Miocic against big-hitting Cameroonian Francis Ngannou.
It seems that, unsurprisingly, Jones will continue to stay in the headlines one way or another until he makes his MMA return.
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Featured image credit: Instagram @jonnybones
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Jon Jones, UFC News, MMA News, Mixed Martial Arts, Fight News, UFC, MMA
