Joe Rogan recalls a conversation with Jon Jones over weed, which may have led to the former UFC champion’s move to the Jackson-Winkeljohn Academy.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is one of the biggest names among the Jackson-Winkeljohn roster. It is the stable that propelled him to becoming the youngest UFC champion, and eventual superstardom.
But apparently, long-time analyst Joe Rogan may have had a hand in the Jones-JacksonWink connection. All of it supposedly transpired during a weed-addled conversation, years back.
During the most recent episode of the JRE MMA Show, it was revealed that fellow comedian Ari Shaffir was the one who instigated the meet-up between Rogan and Jones.
“Early on Jon Jones, he wasn’t anything then – 4-0, maybe, something like that – meeting him, talking about sh-t – and I can talk about this now because it’s no longer a banned substance in the UFC – talking about weed,” Shaffir recalled (transcript via MMA Fighting). “And he was like, ‘Yeah, let’s smoke, bro.’ He wasn’t anything. He wasn’t anything, and just going like, ‘Who’s got weed?’ And I’m like, ‘Oh, Rogan’s got it, but he’s in his hotel room,’ and texting you . . . ‘Hey, man, are you up?’ And you’re like, ‘Yeah, I’m kind of tired. I’m going to sleep.’”
Shaffir says Rogan was initially hesitant, but eventually gave in and had a smoke session with the two. It was during this little gathering when Rogan suggested that “Bones” should move to a bigger camp.
“We also had a conversation with him about I was wanting him to go to a different camp,” Rogan said. “I was like, ‘You’re too good. You should be in a real camp.’ He was like, ‘You really think so?’ I was like, ‘I know so.’
“I go, ‘You only have a certain amount of time in this thing. Your time should be invested with a real coach who’s going to hone your skills. You could be an all-time great, man.’ I remember telling him that. He was like, ‘You really think so?’ I go, ‘I know so. You’ve really got to move on.’”
Delinquent extra-curricular activities and multiple drug test failures aside, Jones did become a force to reckon with in the UFC. He is now scheduled to face Alexander Gustafsson in a rematch at UFC 232 on December 29th in Las Vegas, where he can potentially become a three-time light heavyweight champion.