May - 2015
SCRAPP! FIGHT MAGAZINE
32
news was not released until
after the fight took place (and
that, for some reason, using
coke isn’t a violation leading
to suspension for fighters),
it was clear that Jones was
starting to unravel, though it’s
easier to see in hindsight. He
spent one night in rehab. One
single night. And though that
brief stint became the butt
of many jokes, far too many
people went back to treating
things as business as usual,
despite rampant rumours of a
history of drug use for Jones.
Despite all the evidence that
had piled up over the years
suggesting that there was a
bigger underlying issue with
Jones, and that something
had to be done.
Now we have a serious car
crash, and serious questions:
was Jones high? Marijuana
and a pipe were found in
his car, and whatever your
thoughts on the drug, he
shouldn’t have been driving if
he was in fact high. Was there
anything else in his system?
It’s probably too late to ever
find out. Was that why he
ran, when it would have been
obvious to just about anyone
that a rental car would easily
be traced?
Lets be clear here: Jon Jones
downfall can be attributed
to one man, and that’s Jon
Jones. He’s been immature,
egotistical, and frankly, been
lucky so far that things aren’t
much, much worse. A preg-
nant woman with a broken
arm could just as easily been
a pregnant woman dead on
the road; a smashed Bentley
could have just as easily been
an early, tragic death thanks
to driving under the influence.
However, by no means should
that be taken as rooting for
the man’s downfall. He may
currently be eating a huge
serving of karma, but no one
save the most callous of nay-
sayers would be wishing ills
of this nature upon anyone.
Watching a man squander his
natural abilities and success
isn’t fun, it’s disheartening.
In short, Jones belongs in the
UFC, fighting the best. It’s sad
to see him gone, regardless as
to how long.
Still, the UFC had to act. Did
anyone really expect them to
strip the title from Jones so
soon, if at all? No, but this
can be seen as an act of tough
love. Scare Jones straight, get
him to clean up his act, and all
will be forgiven, make no mis-
take about it. Jones will fight
again, once the court process
plays out and he gets the help
he so clearly needs. And un-
der no circumstances should
the UFC allow him back be-
fore that point.
It’s the right move by the
UFC, even if punishment —
suspension, fines, whatever
— should have come soon-
er, to avoid the need to strip
one of their most decorated
champions. Still, you have to
know how badly they wanted
to avoid this; Jones fights are
always a big deal, and losing
that will be hard.
The best case scenario here
is, luckily, the most likely:
Jon Jones pleads out on the
charges he’s facing, cleans up
his act, and returns to reclaim
his throne, or at least try to.
It’ll be an interesting narrative,
and from the UFC’s stand-
point, a marketable one. How
long will we wait to see it?
Who knows, but really, Jones
should not set foot inside the
octagon until 2016, and until
he can prove that he has, at
long last, learned the lesson
that so many have been wait-
ing for him to absorb: what-
ever your accomplishments in
your career, it’s who you are
as a person, and how you act,
that matters.
For his own sake, lets hope he
finally gets it.
