Olympic Taekwondo Champion Jade Jones Would Consider Switch To MMA

Olympic taekwondo champion Jade Jones has said that she would consider a switch to mixed martial arts after competing at Tokyo 2020.

Jones, who won Great Britain's first ever taekwondo gold medal at London 2012 before following up with another triumph at Rio 2016, has told BBC Sport: "I'm not going to lie, it's tempting to think: 'What else is out there?' and in MMA people earn millions.

"Taekwondo is an Olympic sport so it's hard to get sponsors and hard to make money, but I just love it."

While she might continue to fight for love up until the Tokyo Games, it's understandable that Jones is already thinking about her professional future. Still only 23, she will be 27 by the time she goes to Tokyo, leaving her at a pivotal age if she plans to swap disciplines and learn a new fighting style.

Were Jones to win gold at Tokyo 2020, she would become the first fighter in history to win three gold medals in taekwondo. Despite the overtures towards MMA, Jones has made it clear that Tokyo is still her main focus at the moment, adding: "Maybe into the future I'll go to MMA, but for now no-one in the sport [taekwondo] has ever got three Olympic gold medals, so I have to continue to get that."

Considering that she has just recently won Wales' Sports Personality Of The Year award, securing her place as one of Team GB's most recognisable athletes, the prospect of Jones joining the UFC in future should be an exciting one for MMA fans. While there will be a considerable wait before any concrete plans are made, Jones has already shown that she is capable of producing blockbuster fights on the Olympic stage. Whether or not she will end up doing the same in the octagon, we'll have to wait to find out.