Jon Jones dodged another major career hurdle Thursday, when a New Mexico Judicial District Court judge added new provisions to his existing court probation but declined any harsher conditions including jail time.
Still, Judge Michael E. Martinez didn’t let Jones out of his sight without firing off a final warning. Should the former UFC light heavyweight champion return to his courtroom before the end of his probation, “it won’t go well” for him.
With that, Jones is a free man and can return to the business of attempting to recapture the belt that was stripped from him last April. But is it really that simple?
Bleacher Report colleagues Jonathan Snowden and Chad Dundas join me to discuss Jones’ ongoing problems, why he can’t seem to get out his own way and whether we should be concerned he is going to flush away his prime.
Mike Chiappetta: Over the years, I have probably written as glowingly about Jones as anybody has, and though I generally don’t care how anyone conducts their private lives, I acknowledge that his continual ability to find trouble does not portend well for him.
Since January 2009, which is roughly when he first came into public consciousness, he has had multiple run-ins with the law, including two arrests. But in the last 18 months alone, he’s failed a drug test for cocaine, did one day in rehab, fled the scene of a hit-and-run and then, after avoiding jail time, been cited for driving violations on two separate occasions.
At this point, we can say his behavior fits a pattern. He has spoken repeatedly about changing and improving himself, but his actions don’t match his words. The video (warning: NFSW language) of his most recent trouble is all you need to know. Regardless of the police officer’s antagonistic comments, Jones has to understand he is under the microscope and act accordingly, but he can’t seem to help himself. Regardless of what’s at stake, he’s been unable to make and maintain the positive changes necessary to keep his career and life in order. Even if you’re rooting for him to succeed as I am, those aren’t good signs.
Chad Dundas: Indeed, all three of the writers in this piece could most accurately be described as pro Jones—I know I have been throughout his career. At times it has seemed like he couldn’t win with a certain subset of MMA fans, who simultaneously charged him with being “fake” and “arrogant” and then blamed him for the cancellation of UFC 151 despite the fact that the UFC should have shouldered most of the criticism. For a long time—and for lack of a better word—I felt bad for Jones.
At this point, though, he’s given his detractors plenty of legitimate reasons to dislike him. Even though the Albuquerque courts are content for now to continue letting him off easy, it does feel like we’re treading into dangerous territory here. One more slip-up and Jones could lose a good chunk of the prime of his career to another suspension, jail time or worse.
And look, I’m not a person who needs Jones to be “likable” or “relatable.” I just need him to be free and to be an active UFC fighter. To lose a guy this talented to personal demons would be a tragedy. I can’t imagine it, even though the continuing and perhaps escalating chaos in Jones’ personal life does make it seem like it’s only a matter of time before he gets himself in trouble again.
Jonathan Snowden: I understand there is reason for concern here. This isn’t an isolated incident, and maybe, at least when behind the wheel of a car, Jones doesn’t deserve the benefit of the doubt.
At the same time, this latest brouhaha is nothing more than a traffic ticket. Most of us have had the displeasure of seeing those ominous flashing lights behind us and ultimately been forced to write a hefty check to help fund some local government initiative or police barbecue.
But we aren’t remotely famous. When we get a ticket, even if we smart off to the cop, it doesn’t become national news. In this, at least, Jones is a victim, both of his success and his past.
In a bad movie there would be scary music playing. Jones, like all troubled celebrities on celluloid, would be approaching that moment of reckoning. Lessons, finally, would be learned.
In real life, however, some men just don’t want to change. Since Jack Johnson inflamed America’s passions in and out of the ring, plenty of fighters have been attracted to fast cars and faster women.
It’s what makes them fighters and not accountants. That thing inside of them, that little voice encouraging them to test limits and boundaries, is the same set of impulses that leads them into the cage against the baddest men on the planet.
Perhaps Jones is who we thought he was—and maybe that’s exactly who he needs to be to succeed.
Chiappetta: Maybe you’re right, Jonathan. Maybe he simply can’t turn off the boldness and risk-taking when the lights go down. As you mentioned, he wouldn’t be the first. After all, it’s hard for men who find their best selves in chaos to live in quiet. Still, it’s difficult to accept that as an excuse for sometimes bad and occasionally dangerous behavior.
He’s a grown man, 28 years old, a father and a successful athlete. He has a lot to lose, and much of it is on the line.
Behind the headlines, Jones is smarter and more sensitive than most people know. I cannot imagine he is proud of this recent stretch of his life. I can imagine he wants to do better. For so long, he’s proved himself capable of reaching new levels inside the professional arena. Here’s hoping he can do the same in his personal life.
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