NORTH OLMSTED, Ohio – Tiger Woods cheated on his wife. Pete Rose gambled on the game. There s a pretty good chance that Barry Bonds took steroids and Babe Ruth had a drinking problem. Michael Jordan liked to gamble and may have even resulted in the death of his father. (urban legend). Jim Brown hung a woman out of the window by her ankles.
All these men are the greatest in their sports history, all these men are also troubled by a checkered past. Once again, another sport with it’s greatest athlete in trouble, for reasons and causes only he himself, could have prevented.
Jon Jones has zero legit losses on his record and has beaten more hall of famers and legends then anyone in the history of the sport. Jones is the greatest pound for pound fighter in the history of MMA. His biggest wins have come against Shogun Rua, Lyoto Machida, Rampage Jackson, Rashad Evans, Chael Sonnen, Daniel Cormier, Glover Teixeira, Vitor Belfort, and Ryan Bader.
He had defended the title 8 straight times before he was stripped of it. His only challenge was against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 in September of 2013. No one else has ever come close to even pushing him. He dominated DC in their previous bout at UFC 182.
Just days after I was impressed by the incredible effort of Johnny “Bones” Jones at UFC 182, I sat there saddened as the news had just broke that he failed his pre fight drug test.
He didn’t fail for it the normal reason most fighters do however, it was shocking to discover that he failed it because traces of cocaine were found in his system. This is not only a fail for the fighter, but also a giant letdown for his legions of fans. He tested positive for benzoylecgonine, the primary metabolite of cocaine.
A week after his first test, Jones was tested again. He passed the second test, which meant that the cocaine metabolite was out of his system before the fight. When the news was made public, Jones went into rehab for one night. He was fined $25,000 on January 17 for violating the UFC’s Athlete Code of Conduct policy.
UFC President and voice of the organization, Dana White, wasted no time going into immediate damage control and showed full support for his fighter when he released these comments earlier that evening,
“I am proud of Jon Jones for making the decision to enter a drug treatment facility. I’m confident that he’ll emerge from this program like the champion he truly is.”
Jones would check out after just one day.
It was just the latest of several incidents with Jones inside and outside of the cage that had many wondering if the wunderkind can handle the pressures of fame at such a young age. He had been criticized by fans and media for repeatedly poking his opponents in the eyes.
He was arrested on May 19, 2012, for driving his Bentley Continental GT into a pole in Binghamton, New York. He later plead guilty to DUI charges.
He just always seemed to be at the heart of drama and couldn’t seem to keep his nose clean. Despite being the greatest MMA fighter in the history of the sport, fans and friends worried about him because of his dangerous ways outside of the cage.
Jones was stripped of the title only a short while later when his bad boy ways simply wouldn’t stop. On April 27, 2015, it was confirmed by police in Albuquerque, New Mexico that Jones was being sought in connection with a hit-and-run early the previous morning. Jones was alleged to have run a red light and crashed his rental car in a collision involving two other vehicles. Jones allegedly fled the scene of the crash on foot, leaving an injured pregnant woman behind in another vehicle.
Paperwork found in the car was under the name of “Jonathan Jones”. Inside the silver Buick SUV, law enforcement found a pipe of marijuana with marijuana inside of it. An arrest warrant was issued against Jones and surrender arrangements were made between law enforcement and Jones’ lawyers.
Dana White and the UFC had seen enough, and despite his talent in the cage, simply couldn’t allow him to get away with any more. The UFC stripped Jones of the title, removed him from the official rankings, and suspended him indefinitely. Just like that, the greatest fighter in the history of the sport was without his title.
After over a year on the sidelines, Jones apparently cleaned up his act and returned to the Cage at UFC 197 on April 23, 2016 where he defeated opponent Ovince St. Preux to win the UFC Interim Light Heavyweight Title. This also set up the rematch with Cormier for UFC 200.
As recently as two hours ago, it stood to be the greatest rematch in UFC history, and only a little over 48 hours away. Both men were healthy, nothing should have kept it from happening, and then the wheel came off the car, AGAIN!
Per Jeff Novitzky. He has been flagged by USADA stemming from a test on 6/16.
Just like that his road to redemption ends, and his claim to be the greatest ever hits another roadblock. Once again, not because of anyone he faced in the cage, but because of the toughest competitor he has had his entire life, the man looking back at him in the mirror everyday.
At this point, we can only hope that Jones gets his act together soon, as with his talent he has all the tools to be the biggest role model in sports. No one, and I mean no one, wants to see this young phenomena turn into the next Mike Tyson.
You can follow Vince McKee on twitter at VinceTheAuthor
Recent Comments