UFC champ Jon Jones is in trouble yet again. | Photo: Albuquerque PD
I couldn’t even get through a couple minutes of the Fox Sports-Jon Jones mea culpa/promo/hype video/apology earlier this year because it just felt like I was being sold a bill of goods.
Now, it appears my intuition was spot on. In the wake of Sunday morning’s alleged incident in Albuquerque, N.M., involving an SUV reportedly rented by Jones that stuck a vehicle driven by a 25-year-old pregnant woman, it seems to me that Jones either can’t control himself or doesn’t give enough of a damn to make the necessary adjustments in his life and group of close associates to put this kind of poor decision making behind him.
Add in that the police report states that Jones' vehicle caused the accident by running a red light. A man fitting his description ran away from the scene, only to return to grab a grip of cash. The man ran off again, and there was marijuana and a pipe found in the automobile.
This is the hat trick of stupidity.
UFC fighter Jon Jones has been booked into Bernalillo County MDC without incident.
— Albuquerque Police (@ABQPOLICE) April 28, 2015Now in custody, I am sure the detectives assigned to this case will eventually get some kind of answers or story about what happened, but that will not be the end of the narrative. Mixed martial arts fans and Jones' promoter, the Ultimate Fighting Championship -- as well as sponsors like Reebok -- are going to have to hear something from Jones before they decide he is someone they are willing to support again.
Speaking of support, the UFC should do the right thing and pull Jones from next month’s title fight against challenger Anthony Johnson. I know it isn’t an easy thing to do when it will most likely cost the company a ton of loot, but it is the right thing to do on a couple fronts.
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First off, you said you would support Jones after his drug test failure. Well, the last thing this guy needs in his life right now is a fistfight with a guy like Johnson. It is obvious he needs to get his life in order -- probably more than a symbolic day in rehab this time -- and that is not going to happen over the next four weeks.
Secondly, the UFC needs to make a statement that an out-of-control enfant terrible cannot and will not do whatever he pleases and have the support of the organization. It sends a horrible message to everyone else under the umbrella.
I don’t presume to know what the power brokers in Zuffa's executive suite are contemplating; for all I know, they could be looking for a replacement as we speak. The timing is less important than the outcome; if Jones is allowed to fight next month, it will be a huge black eye for the promotion and the athletic commission licensing him.
At the end of the day, the biggest concern for Jones and his people has to be the health and welfare of the man himself. There is no way he is acting this way and doing the things he has been doing unless he is surrounded by yes men. He needs at least one person he is willing to listen to that will give it to him straight.
He needs to purge his inner circle of people who condone this kind of behavior and send the sycophantic hangers-on packing post haste. It seems he was unwilling to do that after his last wake-up call; only time will tell if this will turn out to be the turning point -- for better or for worse -- for a guy who should be enjoying everything that life has to offer rather than being tabloid fodder for his out-of-cage exploits.
It’s not too late for the 27-year-old to get his life and image back in presentable shape. For every athlete or celebrity that has fallen, there are plenty who have put the pieces back together and realized their potential as both professionals and as people.
It all starts with making one right decision.
Jon, do the right thing. Turn yourself in and start down that road to redemption. It won’t be easy. No softball questions from a friendly network partner this time. No more partying with your boys and no more taking your life for granted.
We’re going to need to hear some heartfelt remorse. We’re going to need to see some legitimate changes in how you carry and compose yourself, and we’re going to need to see you put this reckless decision making behind you for good.
If you can do it, there will be plenty of people cheering for you as you continue your historic run as the world’s best mixed martial artist. If you don’t, I fear that you will become a cautionary tale people tell their kids about for many years to come.
Greg Savage is the executive editor of Sherdog.com and can be reached by email or via Twitter @TheSavageTruth.