Jon Jones admits that a change was needed to realize his full potential.
Jones is the current UFC light heavyweight champion in his second reign. He’s scheduled to put his gold on the line against Dominick Reyes this Saturday night (Feb. 8). The title clash is set to headline UFC 247 inside the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
Jon Jones Discusses What Made Him Reverse Course
Jones had his share of run-ins with the law at the height of his first run with UFC gold. From wrecking his Bentley in a DUI incident to a hit-and-run charge that led to him being stripped of the light heavyweight title, Jones wasn’t in a good spot.
Fast forward to 2020 and Jones believes that stage of his life is long gone as he told ESPN’s Ariel Helwani.
“I do feel like the storm is behind me. It has been an interesting journey and I’ve learned so much and I’m just grateful. I’m grateful to have had all the lessons that I’ve been able to learn. I’m grateful that God has kept me through all of it and just allowed me to grow so much through it all. I think my best days are definitely still ahead of me. I feel like I’m just now really getting into a nice groove of what it means to be a father and a professional athlete and a person with great responsibility. I’m excited about this and I feel like I’m stepping into this well.”
Jones revealed what made him decide to take more control of his life.
“I just feel like I was maybe at a place where I felt like I was throwing a lot of greatness away. And I believe that talent and when you have opportunity it’s a terrible thing to waste. I just feel like these days I take more accountability for my actions and for my emotions and my circle and behaviors and things like that. I think that’s been the major difference, just more accountability.”
