Jon “Bones” Jones has shown limitless potential every single time he stepped into the octagon. Diehard fans who have watched all the way back to his first few fights inside the octagon against Stephan Bonnar and Jake O’Brien knew that they were watching a star in the making find his footing under the bright lights. Even his lackluster return fight against Ovince Saint Preux at “UFC 197” left fans hungry for more, knowing that he was capable of so much more.
While Jones the fighter is praised by many, it’s Jones “the man” that people have no quarrels critiquing. While there is no doubt that Jones is one of the greatest fighters to ever strap on a pair of gloves, his actions outside of the octagon leave more to be desired from a public relations standpoint. UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier is always quick to point these flaws out, most recently telling the MMA Hour:
“I’ve gotten to a point in my life to where this guy has no control over me anymore. If he can’t never fight, that’s on him. I’ve got three gold UFC titles, I’ve got everything else, my family, my money, my jobs for the future, everything.”
“I don’t need that guy, that guy needs to fight and he needs to come back to fight me. This thing doesn’t define me as a human being. I think Jon Jones, he needs to be Jon Jones the fighter because there is nothing else. If you take away Jon Jones the fighter, what is there? Jon Jones the college dropout? Jon Jones the man who actually ran over some chick in her vehicle? Like, who is he? He needs this to define him. When you strip away everything else, there are layers to who I am. He needs this more than me, I don’t need him anymore.”
Cormier stepped into the octagon at “UFC 210” earlier this month and put Jones on blast when he was asked about the suspended fighter during his post fight interview. Jones will be serving a suspension for his drug test failure from “UFC 200” and will be making his return to action at a date yet to be revealed after summer this year.
Jones is currently not ranked in the light heavyweight rankings, but is still in the list of names as potential contenders to Cormier’s throne. Do you think Jones should be barred from that list until his suspension is lifted? Is giving Jones an automatic title shot upon his return a no-brainer? Share your thoughts and let us know what you think about the situation in the comment section below!
