Issue 130

July 2015

Dan Hardy, UFC title challenger turned color commentator, on Jon Jones’ recent struggles.

The rise and fall of sports stars has long been a fascination of the general public, but none more than those who rocket into the spotlight and then crash in a ball of flames. Now mixed martial arts is in the mainstream its athletes don’t just have to contend with each other, they face even greater foes that can accelerate their downfall: fame and money.

In our younger days we all made mistakes, but when a person rises to fame in the way Jon Jones has, they face obstacles that most of us couldn’t comprehend. I have only dipped my littlest toe in that pool and I experienced changes in myself that can only be seen in hindsight. 

It took a perfectly timed left hook from Carlos Condit to bring me back to reality. Foes reminded me I wasn’t unbeatable, and that kept me grounded and helped me continue to grow and evolve.

In May 2011, a 24-year-old Jon Jones beat Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua to become the youngest ever UFC champion. Immediately the sport had an athlete that could act as its spearhead into mainstream media. 

Charismatic and good looking, he was given opportunities that wouldn’t be open to other fighters. TV appearances around the world, big sponsors; the strain of the media attention alone must have been exhausting before camp even started. 

Just over a year after winning the title Jones crashed his new Bentley into a lamppost and was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.

In the following years he courted controversy several more times. His infamous brawl with Daniel Cormier in the MGM Grand lobby (even though we all loved the drama) and recreational drug use both drew negative attention to MMA. While we’re still battling for acceptance in many key areas of the world, including Jones’ home state of New York, any inappropriate behavior will surely have an impact. 

With that said, we have to keep in mind that he’s just one man. Perhaps a phenom that had an amazing run and then somehow got in his own way, when it seemed to the rest of us that the world was in his hands. Only time will tell.

It’s obvious to fans of the sport that he isn’t a true representation of what MMA is all about, and my reaction when I read about the incident was frustration – especially when I think about how many other people have been affected by his actions.

I remember Uncle Dana having a few choice words when he refused to fight Chael Sonnen at UFC 151 – after he was offered as a replacement for an injured Dan Henderson. It resulted in the event being canceled and many fans turning on Jones out of their own frustration and disappointment. Not to mention the other fighters on the card who missed a paycheck.

Ultimately though, it’s important to forgive him, hope he learns from his actions and returns to the Octagon. The light heavyweight division is incomplete without one of the best around in the mix. On the other hand, I was relieved to hear the he had been stripped of the title and a new main event had been matched for UFC 187. Now Jones has nothing else to focus on other than figuring out his character flaws and fixing them. 

We find our way into this sport in the hopes of finding those areas within ourselves that need attention. Most of us will stumble and fall along the way, sometimes into a triangle or perfectly timed knee. 

The lucky few (or unlucky, depending on your perspective) go long periods – sometimes their whole careers – without having those failures and falls highlighted; those opportunities for growth and expansion. 

When someone is as gifted as Jones it can take a situation like this to finally give him that opportunity to learn from his bad decisions. If you’re good enough not to fall victim to them inside the Octagon, you might be unfortunate enough to experience them outside, in the real world.

Jon Jones is talented enough to have the misfortune of growing up under the watchful eye of the whole world. That’s a predicament to meditate on. If nothing else, he will shine a light on bad decision making for future generations of fighters. 

But I hope we get to see him return to competition, and perhaps reclaim his belt as a more humble and mature champion.