Now I don’t want to come off as a person rooting against the stripped champion; nothing could be further from the truth. I, like most of my fellow Americans, love a redemption story like Jones loves to party. Apparently we just can’t help ourselves.
Honestly, I don’t want to see anyone go through this kind of public airing of his or her dirty laundry but Jones really doesn’t have anyone but himself to blame. Well, except all of the enablers that surround him like a pack of vultures.
Now is the time to take inventory of his life priorities and make the necessary changes to ensure he can live a long, fulfilling life. Whether that includes returning to his perch atop the sport of MMA should really not be part of the discussion until he has figured out some of the more pressing details of his existence.
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When UFC yanked his championship belt after Jones was pinched, company president Dana White was crystal clear that the world’s best fighter would have to clear up any legal proceedings before he would be brought back to the promotion.
“A lot of people know, Jon’s had a lot of chances,” said White after the former light heavyweight champion’s April arrest. “This one was his last chance. He’s got to handle his business outside of the Octagon and then we’ll see where he goes from there.”
What wasn’t absolutely clear was the company’s position on the welfare of Jones the person.
This is what I am more concerned about.
And I hope I am not the only one who thinks this is a big deal.
It is not only time for Jones to grow up and become an adult, it’s time for all the people with their ladles cocked and ready to sink back into the Jones Gravy Train to be shown the door. No way one night in rehab should cut it this time around. If Jones is serious about getting his life back on the rails he needs to make some radical changes.
As for his promoter, the UFC should make it clear that they will not be dipping their toes back into the Jones business until he follows through with some of the empty promises he has made in the past. It will be pretty hard to convince anyone of anything for MMA’s “Boy Who Cried Wolf,” but perhaps a start could be subjecting himself to weekly drug and alcohol screenings to show he has the ability to leave the blow and booze alone. If he does indeed need help kicking the white medicine and liquor, might I suggest a rehab stint lasting longer than one night?
Now I know the UFC isn’t a charity run for the good of everyone involved, and nor should it be. But let’s look at this from the company’s standpoint: They went to bat for this guy when they brought him back after he crashed his luxury ride into a telephone pole while allegedly being sauced up. They stood behind him after he popped for cocaine in the lead up to his fight with Daniel Cormier this past January.
Other than the open hostility between the company and Jones’s camp after the cancelation of UFC 151, it has been Dana White going to bat for Jones time and again, only to be made to look like fools when he inevitably gets to his hijinks again. Hell, this guy’s apology for his cocaine test was hyped up on the UFC’s broadcast partner Fox like it was the NFL game of the week. They have done quite a bit to try to get this guy over with fans despite his inability to help them -- or himself -- in that regard.
And what has it got them?
I say the most prudent long-term option for the UFC is to resist the urge to bring him back as soon as possible. I know it might be tough to leave a giant stack of cash on the table but they can look at it as an investment that could potentially pay off over time.
If Jones comes back and fights but is up to his old tricks, how long do you really think it will take for him to get busted again? This isn’t a master criminal we’re talking about here. While I guess it is possible they could keep trotting him out there with the same “this is his last chance” spiel, but my guess is the public relations nightmare would eventually close the door on a fighter who is clearly the best to ever compete in this sport.
Let’s say you actually wait to bring him back until he has sorted his life out and he really does get a chance to author that inspiring redemption story. My thinking is that he will make the UFC quite a bit more revenue than the version of Jones -- as impressive as he still may have been -- that has been running around the Octagon for the last year or two.
From a buy-long perspective, a clean, sober and more mature Jones is a big win for everyone involved.
The other thing I’d really like to hear from White and other UFC brass is a clear declaration that this is truly Jones’ last chance. I’m not usually one who goes for ultimatums but if this case doesn’t call for one then they should never be warranted.
It is time for everyone involved to draw a line in the sand. No more childish behavior, no more bullsh*t excuses and especially no more empty words claiming to be sincere.
It is time to put up or shut up, or it will be time to hit the road for good.
Greg Savage is the executive editor of Sherdog.com and can be reached via email or on Twitter @TheSavageTruth.