Figuring out how to be himself outside of the cage is proving to be far more difficult than competing inside of one for UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Yesterday, it was announced that in a prefight drug screening Jones tested positive for cocaine. Shortly thereafter Jones announced he would be entering a drug treatment facility and apologized for his transgressions. Now he is sitting inside a drug rehabilitation center likely contemplating his next move. Coming off of what was arguably the most important and impressive title defense of his career so far it seemed that the world was about to see a new side of Jon Jones; one that was no longer holding back his feelings or trying to seem humble and charming. He showed the world his true colors at UFC 182 and while he was brash and unapologetic after his fight somehow it was refreshing. It was a side of Jones we hadn’t seen before; he was vocal, honest and vulnerable…he was being himself.
Jones is now faced with the task of doing damage control while hopefully continuing to show this interesting part of his personality. Jones may need help when he makes his way out of treatment and he just so happens to have a supporter who knows exactly what he is going through: Chael Sonnen.
Chael Sonnen might have done it best; he stopped being a polite wrestler from Oregon and started being a “gangster” from the mean streets of West Linn. Sonnen took on a persona that was arrogant, violent, calculated and mean spirited but he was being more honest than he ever had when the cameras were rolling. In doing this, he moved from the middle of the pack straight to the front just as he had hoped he would. Sonnen became the heel of the industry; he called himself “the bad guy” and the fans waited on bated breathe for every promo he cut. Just like the classic professional wrestlers of old, Sonnen grew stronger with each reaction from the crowd until he was so powerful he talked his way right into a title shot that he did not deserved. Even while Sonnen failed drug tests and told lies during his apology he never waivered from being true to who he was. His performances inside the cage were excellent but they were never championship caliber. So therein lies the difference. Jones is held to a higher standard as a champion but he can still learn from what Sonnen has been through.
Now it’s Jones’ turn to be “the bad guy” and he must be ready to accept and embrace the hate that many will be ready shower him with. In the past Jones has been critical of the UFC for not backing his “brand” and he has hidden behind his management and PR team when the going has gotten tough. Personally, I have never been a big fan of Jon Jones, partly because he doesn’t strike me as a straight shooter and partly because he never seems willing to accept responsibility for his actions. His words on air at ESPN, his Instagram videos, his actions at press conferences, these are all things he should own up to instead of creating excuses for or placing blame with someone else. However, since UFC 182 Jones has grown on me. Maybe it’s because I find his struggle a bit more relatable, maybe it was the glimpse he let us have of his passionate side, I don’t know. The only thing I do know is that at 27 years old, Jon Jones is still growing up. Soon Jones will have to make a decision, does he want to live in the spotlight and be himself or does he want to live under a microscope where all of his actions will be dissected?
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