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UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones got personal on a recent podcast appearance.
We might not see Jon Jones in the Octagon any time soon. The reigning light heavyweight champ has gone on record saying he is willing to sit out for years to expose the UFC’s unwillingness to pay top dollar for his services.
With a prolonged stint on the sidelines seemingly in his future, Jones appears to have taken this time as an opportunity for introspection. At least, that’s how it sounded during his recent appearance on the Wild Ride! podcast, hosted by Jackass alum Steve-O.
On the podcast Jones spoke about his dissatisfaction with the UFC and his preference to fight elsewhere.
“I think right now’s a good time for any company to have me, for sure,” said Jones, after name-checking Bellator (per MMA Fighting). “My goal is to be an asset to any company that I’m a part of. I got a feeling if I am able to get out of my UFC contract, that I would be huge for another company.”
When stating that now was a good time to invest in Jon Jones, the perennial G.O.A.T candidate admitted to being an unreliable figure in the past. “I’m really making an effort—really for the first time—to get my sh*t somewhat together,” he said.
Though incredibly talented and accomplished, Jones is often remembered for his extremely public falls from grace. Jones’ controversies include a hit and run which resulted in breaking the arm of a pregnant woman, drug test failures and pleading no contest to a battery charge.
Jones said that this new effort to change his behavior is down to his most recent interaction with the law — a DWI arrest in March. That arrest lead to the release of body cam footage that appeared to show him behind the wheel in an inebriated state.
“My last DWI has done a lot for me,” revealed Jones. “It set me free in so many ways. It embarrassed me. It reality checked me. I’ve never been on camera drunk for the public to see like that. It was humiliating and somewhat of a bottom for me and I’m ready to snap it into high gear.”
Since that arrest Jones has been working with Albuquerque Community-Appropriate Relief Effort (C.A.R.E), which supports community projects across New Mexico. Jones told Steve-O working with that organization has been a profound experience.
“Right now though, honestly, being involved with the C.A.R.E. project and being detached from the UFC and trolls and all that type of stuff. This is motivating me way more than a world championship fight. I’ve been winning title fights for so long now, I get what that feels like, I know what the after party feels like, I know what it feels like to be called champ and looked at as the greatest fighter forever. I’ve been experiencing these things for so long now that that s**t doesn’t really tickle me anymore. Changing my life and giving back to other people and having people say thanks for what you did for the city last night and stuff like that, my neighbors look at me like a person that they’re incredibly proud to be neighbors with. That means so much more to me than being a UFC champion and I’m so grateful.”