Jon Jones has gathered a wealth of labels all through a 16-year UFC profession that’s nearly exhausting in its complexity.
First, he was the wunderkind, when he ran by esteemed contenders like Maurício Rua, Quinton Jackson, Lyoto Machida and Rashad Evans, as he constructed his case as the brand new face of the game. In 2011 at age 23, he turned the UFC’s youngest champion.
Rapidly, he was criticized for his maneuvering within the cutthroat and sometimes caustic world of fight sports activities, when UFC president Dana White known as him “egocentric” for not accepting a last-minute opponent in 2012. Comparable takes persist at this time on social media, from fighters and followers and observers within the sport who wish to steer Jones towards their leisure of selection. “On the web everybody’s like, ‘You’re a duck,’” Jones mentioned in an interview, referring to him selecting sure fights and, in some minds, ducking others. “Is being known as a duck alleged to sway my selections? What is that this, highschool?”
A string of deeper, extra troubling setbacks all through his profession has usually prompted even sharper assessments. He failed three drug exams, and defined the primary to USA At the moment in 2016 by saying: “I used to be a drug addict.” Jones has repeatedly confronted authorized troubles, together with accusations of hitting girls, together with his fiancée, and was stripped of a championship belt when he was accused of fleeing the scene of a hit-and-run wreck on foot.
His biggest rivalry, with Daniel Cormier, was sidelined closely in consequence, and when Jones examined constructive for anabolic steroids, he was stripped of his belt for a 3rd time and his knockout of Cormier was modified to a no-contest.
White mentioned then that it could possibly be the top of Jones’ profession. On Thursday, he mentioned that regardless of rigidity of their working relationship, it made “widespread sense” to maintain reserving him fights.
“You can’t deny what this man has achieved. And a lot of the issues he’s achieved, he’s finished with not being superb to himself,” White instructed The Athletic. “He’s the best of all time and one of many baddest human beings to ever stroll the face of the earth. And after I discuss him, I discuss his darkish aspect, too. I imply, Jon Jones is a scary dude.”
He added: “I instructed (former UFC chief govt) Lorenzo Fertitta: ‘This can be a man you may’t construct a enterprise with.’”
Jones cries throughout a information convention in 2016 after his battle with Daniel Cormier is scrapped days earlier than UFC 200. (Photograph: Ethan Miller / Getty Photographs)
But Jones has precisely that stature, with high billing in what may fairly be thought-about UFC’s greatest occasion of the 12 months. Jones is scheduled to battle Stipe Miocic, one other nice within the sport, for the heavyweight title on Saturday night time at Madison Sq. Backyard in New York.
“I feel Jon Jones battles with these interior demons typically on who he’s and I feel he needs to be that good man. I feel he has loads of inside battles with who he actually is. However on the finish of the day what Jon Jones has to return to grips with and what he has to understand is Jon Jones is a killer and he was placed on this earth to do precisely what he’s doing proper now,” White mentioned.
Jones declined to speak about specifics round his arrests and different issues, however broadly acknowledged his stumbles. “I haven’t at all times lived an ideal Christian life,” he mentioned, a reference to the spiritual themes that he says have been a giant a part of his household and personal life. (A Bible verse might be etched onto his trunks on Saturday to reflect certainly one of his tattoos.)
“I’d like folks to recollect me as only a person who overcame, an individual that was very a lot human, a man who had loads of flaws and a man who actually liked God from begin to end,” he added.
His dad and mom, Camille and Arthur Jones Jr., raised three sons who reached the highest echelon of their sports activities. Each of Jon’s brothers have been Tremendous Bowl-winning defensive linemen; his older brother, Arthur, within the 2012 season with the Baltimore Ravens; his youthful brother, Chandler, within the 2014 season with the New England Patriots.
Every morning, Jon Jones mentioned, his father is up at 4 a.m. fasting and praying for his sons, then blowing up their telephones with sermons and Bible verses. Camille, who died in 2017 from issues of diabetes, was praised by girls of their church at her memorial for her impact on their lives, Jones mentioned.
“She confirmed me which you can be a rock star with out being an expert athlete, with out being well-known,” he mentioned.
Jones mentioned his dad and mom confirmed him how he could possibly be admired. His public errors, conversely, are for him to personal.
“The very best sides of me positively got here from them, so far as the humanitarian aspect of me, the compassionate aspect of me, the aspect that basically genuinely cares about my neighbor. Now, as human beings, now we have many sides to us…” Jones mentioned earlier than trailing off.
Within the octagon, Jones is obvious that he’s preventing for his personal ends fairly than to feed into fights that could be in public demand.
Jones and Miocic pose forward of their UFC 309 title battle. (Photograph: Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC)
This week, he has circled across the interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, a British fighter who received the interim belt a 12 months in the past when Jones needed to postpone a bout with Miocic with a shoulder damage. Aspinall fought Sergei Pavlovich as an alternative, and even defended the interim belt earlier this 12 months whereas Jones waited to battle Miocic. Miocic has better identify recognition, however at 42 is 4 years faraway from his final victory.
Nonetheless, Jones appears tired of preventing Aspinall, and indicated that he would fairly battle Alex Pereira, the sunshine heavyweight champion who has rapidly risen to be a star. He may additionally retire, a standard transfer utilized by fighters for quite a lot of causes – usually sincerely and in addition usually to drive up their bankability in a sport with a fight-by-fight payday.
“If the UFC is taken with having me come again to possibly battle towards Pereira, I feel that’d be a battle price my whereas.” Jones mentioned. “And outdoors of that, man, I’d love to check my hand in Hollywood, and use a few of this affect that I’ve gained to place me in some actually cool roles and in film roles and motion movies and issues like that.”
Jon Jones is ready to hold up the gloves.
The heavyweight champ instructed @TheAthletic his major objective for #UFC309 is to develop into the primary man to submit Stipe Miocic, “and I am ready to retire after that, very fortunately.” pic.twitter.com/6jeOiJh32q
— Mark Puleo (@ByMarkPuleo) November 8, 2024
White mentioned he would solely entertain Jones preventing Pereira, who has develop into the brand new UFC darling for his thrilling fashion and frequent, action-filled title defenses, if Jones fights Aspinall first.
“If Jon needs to battle Aspinall, we’ll do it. And if he beats Aspinall after which mentioned he wished to battle Pereira, I’d contemplate it,” White mentioned.
The uncertainty all units up for loads of drama regardless of the Jones-Miocic end result.
“You possibly can name me rooster, duck, goat, no matter,” Jones mentioned, including: “It’s not my duty to assist another person construct a model or give somebody a chance. My job is to deal with my legacy and do what’s greatest for my legacy.”
Jones – at 27-1 with the no contest and his solely loss a disqualification — appreciates that being thought-about among the many biggest fighters is a part of how followers focus on his mark on the game.
“I really feel prefer it’s at all times going to be an opinion. Some folks would love fighters due to the best way they carry themselves. Some folks like fighters due to the best way they compete. Some folks like fighters due to the best way they modified the game. There are such a lot of completely different opinions on that,” Jones mentioned. “I’m simply grateful to be within the dialog.”
And White, regardless of saying discovering it troublesome to work with Jones at instances, mentioned the outcomes have been clear. “Win, lose, draw on Saturday night time, his legacy is ready. He’s the best of all time,” White mentioned. “No one’s achieved what he’s achieved.”
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(Photograph: Chris Graythen / Getty Photographs)
