mma / Columns

Was Jon Jones Being Real In His Recent Interview?

November 27, 2015 | Posted by Lorenzo Vasquez

MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani took us for an hour long ride on Tuesday. We shared the back seat while Jon Jones rode up front as passenger answering Helwani’s questions in what seemed to be a calm and collective manner. At times he took his time, collecting his thoughts and words, and answering with what appeared to be straight forward honesty. Other times, he was quick to respond, but still, he seemed truthful—like a changed man, a man who had been served a hearty helping of humble pie.

Was this the real Jon Jones we were seeing and hearing? Or, was this the same Jon Jones we have come to know? You know, the one whose answers seem contrived…the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion with the fake persona, as Daniel Cormier would say.

So was he genuine, or insincere? The straight answer is, only Jon Jones knows that, but in hindsight, it’s safe to say he was likely genuine and insincere all wrapped up in one package.

Make no mistake, Jon Jones is Jon Jones. All those times he was up in front of the press, under the media scrum et cetera, he portrayed himself differently from his true form. He put on a persona, but as the pressures chipped away, we witnessed the breaking of the façade. The real Jon Jones began to emerge and now, on his road back to the top, we have this interview.

What should we expect? I’m sure Jones is humbled by the experience he’s lived since April 26 of this year, but only to a degree. At the end of the day, he still walked away with a lesser punishment than he should have received for running a red light, crashing into a pregnant woman’s vehicle subsequently breaking her arm, and then fleeing the scene.

Sure he lost his UFC gold, sponsors, and endorsements. But in all reality, he didn’t lose everything he had because it was always known he could come back when the dust settled a bit and start where he left-off. Deep down, Jones knows/knew if he wanted too, he could get new sponsors and endorsements, maybe even the ones that walked away. He knew the UFC, despite their uncaring nature towards him, would reinstate him when he was ready. In addition, he had the money to hire a legal team to navigate the system and keep him away from the harsher punishments available in his circumstance.

He had a glimpse of what it is to lose it all but he never really did. Indeed, the Jon Jones Ariel Helwani interviewed is the same Jon Jones we’ve come to know with the exception that he’s been slapped in the face. He’s brash, smug, and still pretentious. Moving forward we’re more likely to see the Jon Jones we saw in the lead up to UFC 182. He’ll be more true to himself and he’ll get more respect for it, but he’ll still rub a whole lot people the wrong way and he’ll still put on a facade here and there.

And, that’s okay in this business. Most will see right through it and it will draw numbers. Some will tune in to see the man on his “righteous” quest to build an everlasting legacy, while others will tune in hoping to see him come crashing down from his pedestal.

In the interview Jon Jones is Jon Jones. He appears to shed the persona he used throughout his career and acknowledges his mistakes and traveling down the wrong path. He admits he wasn’t focused and had the feeling he was invincible. He had fought and beat a who’s who of elite MMA fighters, toppling a tougher row of foes than Anderson Silva had in his illustrious middleweight run. It got to his head. He didn’t care because he was unstoppable.

He loved partying, drinking, and smoking weed. And, about his cocaine use, I don’t know. He says he tried it once and it happened to fall a day before he was tested. Do we believe that? Nonetheless, he seems to have come to terms. He criticizes the fans that he feels betrayed him or never gave him a chance. He does the same to the UFC—and rightfully so to some degree. But, in doing that, fragments of the pompous Jon Jones are conjured up. He accepts what has happened but cedes some of the blame to the UFC, Daniel Cormier, and fans. Yet, he also comes across as grateful for the support he has received from fighters and fans.

At the conclusion of the interview we are left to believe Jones has began righting his wrongs. He has a new fire driving him, but was it ignited because he found new life and a new direction or because Daniel Cormier said the right thing? Only Jones will ever know that answer. In being himself, he’ll never be truthful about it. He’s one of the greatest and that comes with a confidence, a self-righteousness, that can only be taken away by a dominating defeat, one he has eluded thus far, and it appears he will continue too for the foreseeable future. What we got for that hour was the only Jon Jones we’ll ever know unless we are part of his inner circle. He was indeed genuine, but at the same time, you can’t expect him to not be insincere.

article topics :

Jon Jones, Lorenzo Vasquez