Newly re-crowned UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones seemed to erase much of the bad memories of the last two years, at least for the time being, with his absolutely jaw-dropping third-round knockout of former champion Daniel Cormier in the main event of last night’s UFC 214 from Anaheim.
Cormier had been a model champion when Jones had turned into a volatile version of his own worst enemy, defending the title against Anthony Johnson and Alexander Gustafsson while Jones seemed to find himself in some sort of drug-related trouble around every corner. There was the failed drug test for cocaine before he and Cormier’s first fight, there was the disturbing hit-and-run in Albuquerque, there was the probation violation, and most of all, there was the USADA drug test failure three days prior to their rescheduled rematch at last July’s UFC 200.
All of that justifiably lead to many fans wondering if Jones would ever continue living up to his potential as arguably the greatest mixed martial artist of all-time, a title he almost certainly cemented when he knocked out Cormier – a stalwart competitor who had never been finished – in the third round last night. Jones is back, ladies and gentlemen, and as always, the future looks extremely bright if you can just stay out of trouble long enough to make it to the cage.
He did that last night, and the result was one of the most spectacular light heavyweight title fights in UFC history, and that’s saying a lot, maybe even saying a ton. Jones may have come off a more relaxed and nonchalant during the buildup to his absolutely integral UFC 214 return, but at this point, we never really know what to expect from supremely well-rounded fighter whose issues have never been inside the octagon. ‘Bones’ is likeable enough this week, and indeed many wanted to see him come back to win the belt he technically never lost.
The champ offered his view on why people want to see him find success again at the post-fight press conference, noting that fans simply want to see how he’s going to respond to the problems he created for himself. In that sense, he’s glad to be an example for others:
“I think I’m like a modern situation and people like to see how I’m going to handle it, and I think that’s what’s most intriguing, to see someone come back from so much bullshit, right? So I’m glad to be out there, I’m glad to be out there and my life can be a testimony for others.”
Jones moved on to discuss what would be different than his initial title run, where he won the belt at a record-setting 23 years of age and admittedly was far from ready for the temptations of fame and fortune at such a ripe age. “Bones” insists that he would be much more knowledgeable about the responsibility offered him as champion, but at the end of the day, he could never promise to be a saint, because he’s a wild man:
“Well, my effort. My effort; I think I’ll make a conscious effort to just do better. I’m also a lot more aware of who I am and the responsibility that comes along with being a champion, a UFC champion. And so, I don’t want to sit up here and make promises and say that I’m going to be a saint, because, I’m a wild motherfucker at the end of the day. But I can try to do things better, I can make a conscious effort to make better decisions, and I think that’s enough. I think me expecting more out of myself will ultimately lead me to just being a better champion.”
We’ll have to find out if that will indeed be enough, as it’s clear only poor decisions can stop the steamrolling titleholder from asserting himself as the best athlete to ever set foot in the octagon. With all due respect to Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, and Demetrious Johnson, Jones wins fights in ways others cannot over the best of the best.
He’s currently headed for what looks like a massive spectacle of a super fight with former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, a fight that would no doubt be one of the hottest-selling items in MMA history. But with Alexander Gustafsson waiting for his long overdue rematch and Lesnar still suspended until next year, that fight would also be an excellent main event for November 4’s big pay-per-view event from MAdison Square Garden.
Will Jones be able to make good enough decisions to make it to his next fight? Let’s hope so, because every single one was – and is – going to be a huge event from here on.
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