Jon Jones says past transgressions make him ‘more relatable’

Jon Jones speaks up about the troubles he’s been in and how it makes him “more relatable to people.”

After winning the heavyweight title at UFC 285 on Saturday, Jon Jones gave his usual religious shoutout. He even thanked all the “prayer warriors” who were on his side, saying he felt every single one of them ahead.

But that side of Jones has been overshadowed by his many transgressions and run-ins with the law. During the post-fight scrum, “Bones” addressed these mistakes and how they made him “more relatable” to people.

“When I first got into the UFC, I would talk about god a lot and wanting to be a good person,” Jones told the media. “And then people got to see that my life wasn’t perfect. That I make mistakes, and that I sin, and I fall down.

“And I think for a long time, people looked at me as an incredibly fake individual. And I think as of right now, people can just see that I’m a human. That I do love god, but I’m a human.

“Christians aren’t perfect. And I just think I’m more relatable to people than I’ve ever been. And despite how many times I mess up, I do try to stand for good and something that’s bigger than me.

“I just think there’s a relatability that I have with people where you either absolutely hate me or you’re just learning to understand the man that I am.”

UFC president Dana White was all praises towards Jones, declaring him the undeniable GOAT after his easy win over Gane. The bossman, however, was a bit concerned about Jones having an afterparty, given his history when partying is involved.

“It does a little bit (worry me), yeah,” White said during his media scrum. “I’m not gonna lie. Like I said, I told Hunter (Campbell), charter a f—ng plane and get him back to New Mexico, ASAP. I didn’t know he had an afterparty, but (knocks wood).”

But according to Jones, White has nothing to worry about.

“Dana knows we all make mistakes, and I am not the man… I won’t even say that. I’m excited to go out, I’m excited to meet my fans, I’m excited to shake their hands, to look them in the eyes, to give them hugs.

“I know the tickets are more expensive than they normally are, and a lot of people don’t get the opportunity to see me in person and I want to give as much good energy as I can. So my afterparty is not about drinking or anything like that. It’s about giving back to my fans.”

Jones also had this to say about Francis Ngannou.

About the author: Milan Ordoñez has been covering combat sports since 2012 and has been part of the Bloody Elbow staff since 2016. He’s also competed in amateur mixed martial arts and submission grappling tournaments. (full bio)