It’s been a long six months of radio silence from the former Light Heavyweight champion. But now, recently reinstated for action by the UFC and already halfway done with his (court ordered) community service, the former champ opened up to the incomparable Ariel Helwani in an hour-long interview posted this week. If you haven’t watched it yet, stop brining your turkey and get over there right now. Below are the five biggest revelations to come out of the Jon Jones interview.
“I was afraid.”
People seem to forget why Jones got into this situation in the first place. He wasn’t harangued by a kangaroo court, nor was he railroaded by an aggressive Albuquerque DA intent on bagging a high profile conviction. Jones ended up in the position he is because of the choices he made, namely crashing into oncoming traffic after a night of debauchery, only to break the arm of a pregnant woman before fleeing the scene of his felonious assault. That should be at the forefront of people’s minds for Jones’ immediate future and eventual comeback. I’m not advocating fans laud it over the former champ for the remainder of his career, but this was too heinous of an event to let it slip into the ether, or, worse yet, let it become a footnote on his Wikipedia page.
“I deserve all the backlash.”
I’m all for second chances, especially when the person has shown real contrition for their actions and made good on promises for positive change and action. But let’s be real, this is Jones’ third chance. There was the 2012 DUI, there was the positive cocaine test earlier this year, and then, of course, the hit and (literally) run. That’s a troubling pattern of behavior, not even taking into account the hijinks Jones has engaged in on social media. For the average person, most bridges would have already been burned after a track record like that. But Jones isn’t an average person, and given his wealth and influence, he’s managed to remain fairly unscathed until this point. Any fan backlash or media heat Jones has received is well deserved.
“If I [had wanted] to fight, I wouldn’t have gotten suspended or my belt stripped.”
By far, the most revealing segment in Jones’ interview with Helwani was how he perceived Zuffa’s reaction after the crash. According to Jones, it was an “all-systems-go” attitude towards his scheduled title defense against Anthony Johnson in May. It’s easy to see why; the UFC had already invested millions in promoting the clash between Jones and Johnson, and finding a suitable replacement less than one month out would be difficult. All that aside, though, it’s disturbing to realize how quickly the UFC would have stuck Jones into a headlining position just weeks after a potentially fatal car accident he was responsible for. It’s yet another grim reminder that the UFC is a company, and at the end of the day, it’s all about staying in the black. Though they were commended for their “swift action” in removing Jones’ title, it’s troubling to realize that, had Jones protested the action, they would have went ahead with the fight and probably let him keep his belt.
“What do you do?”
For one of the sport’s most dominant champions in history, Jones has had an extremely tumultuous relationship with his parent company. At this point in time, it’s hard to imagine Jones fighting anywhere but the UFC, but if he were to jump ship, who could blame him? The UFC placed the blame on the cancellation of UFC 151 solely on Jones and his camp, and you could make the argument that Jones’ public persona was irreparably damaged afterwards. After being labeled a “sport-killer”, the UFC scheduled Jones’ next fight against Vitor Belfort at UFC 152, and though Jones came out on top that night, the fight itself never should have happened; the UFC had medical paperwork essentially proving that Belfort was on steroids leading up to the fight and did nothing to stop it. Had Belfort actually broke Jones’ arm in that first round, the backlash would have been unimaginable, especially after the revelation that the UFC knew he was juiced to the gills going into the fight. Even more disheartening is Jones’ own estimation of what his possible options are. When asked what he planned to do, the former champ himself realized he was left with almost no recourse. If the UFC’s pattern of behavior continues, though, Jones might very well be the first and the highest profile fighter to publicly back a fighter’s union of some sort.
“I’m a work in progress like we all are.”
Hands down, this was the most mature Jones we’ve seen in a while. Physically, he looks excellent. Jones has used the last six months to “get sober and get swole” (in that order) in preparation for his eventual return to the cage. If he performs as well as he has in the past, the added muscle might make for an even scarier “Bones” when he does step back in the octagon. Physicality aside, Jones seems to be in very strong place mentally right now. Though a few of his answers were calculated, it seems like we’re getting a much more honest version of Jon Jones this time around; he laments “being sh*t” on by media and fans within the last year, but understands that as a “f*ck-up”, he deserves all the bad press. The 22-year-old Jones of yesteryear would have never owned up to his mistakes like that. Like any human, he’s more sorry he got caught than anything, but for the first time in his career, we are seeing a Jones with remorse for his actions; he realizes he’s been extremely lucky throughout this entire situation and if what he says is true, the best is truly yet to come.
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