Following a hit-and-run incident, Jon Jones immediate future is up in the air, but according to his longtime manager Malki Kawa, his long-term future might be questionable as well.
Kawa appeared on “The MMA Hour” with Ariel Helwani this past Monday at MMAFighting.com and spoke about his client’s future as a fighter.
“It could very well be the last time we’ve seen Jon Jones in the Octagon,” Kawa said. “I think Jon Jones is gonna focus on Jon Jones. I think he’s gonna take the time to do whatever he’s gotta do. And if it’s the last time we’ve seen him fight, it’s the last time we’ve seen him fight. And I’m OK with that.
Kawa continued, “If he ever doesn’t come back to the sport, it’s because he doesn’t want to come back to the sport. If it was because of too much pressure? Could be. If it’s because of the belt? Could be. If it’s because the competition is too much, it could be.
“Whatever he decides is the reason why he won’t come back to the sport, but it’ll be solely on him. I’m not gonna blame anything or anyone for anything Jon Jones does. And no one, at the same token, can take credit for anything Jon Jones does. Everything that’s Jon Jones’ is Jon Jones’. The good, the bad and the ugly.”
Despite all of his trouble outside the cage, Kawa insists his client is still the best professional MMA fighter in history.
“He’ll still go down as the greatest of all time and no one is gonna convince me otherwise,” Kawa said. “No other fighter has done what he’s been able to do and I don’t think anyone has been able to impact the sport the way he has.
“The reality is you can try to bring him down any way you want. You can say the things he’s done, things he didn’t do – whatever. But I really do believe at the end of the day, he’s the greatest of all time inside the Octagon. No one can take that away from him.”
