Jon Jones has moved to clear up any confusion surrounding his health issues.
A clip went viral earlier this week of Jones telling UFC welterweight Joaquin Buckley at last Firday’s DBX 5 event that he is suffering from severe arthritis and may be forced to have hip replacement surgery.
"I have severe arthritis, and most people don't know that” Jones told Buckley in the video. “My left hip is covered in arthritis. I actually already qualify for a hip replacement. My last training camp, dude, I went to bed in so much pain."
After footage emerged of the conversation yesterday, Jones addressed the situation in more detail.
"Looks like a private conversation I had at DBX 5 in Houston made its way out into the wild," Jones told TMZ Sports. "It happens. Like most fighters, we deal with injuries quietly sometimes and like in my case, for years. A lot of us walk around limping most days, paying the ultimate price for our health.
"If you’re wondering whether it’s true, it is. I’m grateful for all my battle scars, and if I could do it all over again, I absolutely would without hesitation. It's been what I wake up for in my career everyday."
He continued ... "Even after becoming one of the most accomplished fighters in the history of the sport, my critics still give me grief about slowing down over the past few years. That’s called living to fight another day taking the lessons learned and applying them to business instead of the Octagon. It's called evolution."
Despite dealing with these issues, Jones has been vocal about his dream of fighting one last time at the White House this summer.
"The UFC knows the extent of my arthritis,” the former two-weight UFC champion said. “They also know that if I were to put it all on the line one last time and endure that level of pain, the reward would have to be something special and something more than a fat payday. For me, that was and is still the White House.
"Whether that fight happens or not, my career has been one for the ages and nothing short of legendary. I left a big part of myself in that Octagon, and I’m grateful for every bit of it. And don’t get it twisted, I’ll still kick 99% of your asses out there. Still putting up big numbers under the squat rack. Still training. Still outworking most of you ... just maybe after a proper warm-up and a good stretch."
