Jon Jones has always had his problems. Fans have been willing to forgive and forget, but this time it seems too much. After being lauded as ‘the best of all time’ following his KO win over Daniel Cormier in July to win back his UFC light-heavyweight title, he once again tested positive for banned substances and was duly stripped of the belt for the second consecutive bout.
Jones had only just finished serving his ban for a positive test after defeating Ovince Saint Preux last year, which was straight off the back of another controversy which saw his belt taken away from him in 2015. Not only has it left him astoundingly inactive in the peak years of his career, it has tarnished his reputation forever, to the point where it’s unlikely we’ll see him in the UFC’s Octagon again.
However, there is no denying his phenomenal talent. Now, as the bad boy of MMA, people will always tune in to watch him fight. It might be because they intend to stand by him and see him as troubled, or more likely now because he’s become the figure you love to hate. Polarising the fans means money, so it’s hard to imagine that Jones is done with competition.
The UFC would lose all credibility if they brought Jon Jones back again after he has constantly brought the company into disrepute, but you could bet Bellator would snap him up if the opportunity was there. The fact that the CSAC will issue him a very lengthy ban following back to back infringements is an issue on that front, so for the forseeable future at least he couldn’t compete there.
Would he rather sit out and squander his prime years and money making opportunities? I highly doubt it.
At the moment he seems to be maintaining his innocence and aiming to prove that through the appeals system. It’s unclear how successful that challenge might be, but if he is found guilty of the offences then the punishments are extreme. Four years sat out would not be viable, and that makes you think about whether he’d eye up non-USADA jurisdictions such as Japan, who have options like Fedor Emelianenko, and less stringent drug testing policies.
There are other athletes that wish the whole debacle would just subside so they could go about making their own claims to the throne. Daniel Cormier had his title reinstated when his KO loss was made a No Contest, but he’ll feel he needs a real victory to accept the status as champion.
Saint Preux will feel bitter following his decision loss to Jones in 2016, and would no doubt like the chance to challenge for the title once again. He’s just got back on to the winning track after Jones sent him on the start of a three-fight skid, and the online betting has him massively favoured over Yushin Okami in his next fight.
Add to that list Alexander Gustafsson, Volkan Oezdamir and more, and you have a whole host of exciting warriors who want this put to bed, but it’s likely that the focus will remain on Jon Jones, the fallout, and the uncertainties about what lies ahead.
