The Rise and Fall: Jon Jones
Jon Jones is a mixed martial artist who is widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters of all time. However, his career has been marred by controversy and several high-profile incidents that have led to his rise and fall in the sport.
Jones burst onto the scene in 2008 and quickly established himself as a dominant force in the light heavyweight division. Becoming the youngest UFC champion ever when he won his first belt in 2011 and went on to defend the belt several times over the next few years, displaying a unique blend of athleticism, striking, and grappling skills that made him virtually unbeatable and earned him the spot as maybe the greatest UFC fighter of all time.
However, Jones’ success was often overshadowed by off-the-field issues, including a DUI arrest in 2012, a hit-and-run incident in 2015 where he hit a pregnant woman, and several failed drug tests that led to suspensions and the stripping of his titles.
Despite these setbacks, Jones remained a top-ranked fighter and made a successful return to the octagon in 2018 where he had possibly the greatest fight of all time against a prime Alexander Gustafsson. He won the vacant light heavyweight title in 2019 but was stripped of the belt once again after another failed drug test.
Jones then moved up to the heavyweight division and was expected to challenge for the title in 2021. However, he was arrested in March of that year on charges of misdemeanor battery and tampering with a vehicle, leading to his release from the UFC.
Jones made his UFC heavyweight comeback March 4th of this year against former Interim UFC heavyweight champion, Cyril Gane, following the surprising release of former heavyweight champ, Francis Ngannou. After a stoppage only a couple seconds into the fight after Ciryl Gane kicked Jones in the groan, Jones had a first round submission with only 2:04 minutes remaining due to a guillotine choke.
Although Jones’ road to the title has been a very rocky one, including many ups and downs, he seems to be finally putting in a conscious effort to stay out of trouble and retain the title. His next fight is set to be against heavyweight legend, Stipe Miocic. Even doubters of Jones are speculating that if he beats Stipe, he will be cemented as the greatest of all time.
Whether you like Jones or not, it cannot be denied that he is one of the most entertaining fighters to watch and everyone wants him to stay out of trouble to watch him fight. Maybe the rise and fall isn’t the best title for this, maybe it will be the rise and fall and rise of Jon Jones. But without a doubt, it has been a very rocky road for Jon Jones.
