Jon Jones returns to action Saturday after more than a year away from the sport he has dominated since before he was of drinking age.
As most fans know, when he steps in against Ovince Saint Preux in the main even of UFC 197, the former light heavyweight champ will begin a run to reclaim a title he never lost in the cage. Since before he was of legal drinking age, the most formidable threat to Jones' greatness has been Jones himself.
But that was then. This is now. A yearlong suspension and a stripping of his belt stemming from a hit-and-run car wreck and a more recent roadway run-in with police are behind Jones now. At least according to Jon Jones.
Do fans believe Jones when he says this time he really, really, truly gets it? That he's gotten the message? That he'll straighten up and fly right? That might be a little slower in coming.
No matter where a person falls on the Jones approval meter, we've all seen this movie before. We all saw it again Friday when Jones held a conference call with media members, including representatives from Bleacher Report MMA (via Damon Martin of Fox Sports).
I think at the end of the day when my story is written and it's all done, I will be looked at as a role model because of the way that I come out of all this stuff. ... The little hiccups they don't define me. ... People will be able to say 'Jon Jones went through a lot, that kid struggled with drugs and partying and fame and money and all these things came at him at a young age and he was a little bit of a wild boy but look at him today.'
The lines were delivered with Jones' familiar blend of calm confidence and boyish candor that have marked so many of his public remarks—perhaps too many for the tone to continue resonating. For example, in September, when he pleaded guilty to the hit-and-run charge, Jones said the following, according to Tristen Critchfield of Sherdog:
I want to apologize to [victim] Ms. [Vanessa] Sonnenburg's team, all the offices who were involved that day, all the people who support me that I've embarrassed, my family, mainly Vanessa Sonnenburg and her family for all the heartache that I must have put them through. I'm here to accept full responsibility for what happened, for my actions, and I'm really hoping that you guys can give me an opportunity to redeem myself.
Sound familiar?
In speaking with Mike Bohn for an article in Rolling Stone—and seemingly before his most recent brush with the law, which resulted in Jones spending two days in jail and facing a drag-racing charge to which he pleaded not guilty—he said the hit-and-run incident was "a reality check":
That's really what it all boils down to for me. It was the day that I realized that life wasn't all fun and games, there are consequences for your actions. ... I'm sitting here living this life, being in the argument of being the greatest of all-time in the sport, and I'm pissing it away making poor decisions, partying, taking my life for granted.
Again, though, the walk didn't match the talk. Because shortly after came the drag-racing situation, which included a videotaped exchange in which Jones traded insults with the police. Not what you'd call a good look, especially for someone who seemed so earnest about changing his life and reputation.
I'm glad I am to https://t.co/MUfa133p7c
— Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) February 17, 2016
Delving even further back, Jones embarked on a one-day stay in rehab after testing positive in December 2014 for a cocaine metabolite. At the time, according to Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports, Jones made a statement that felt earnest and contrite:
With the support of my family, I have entered into a drug treatment facility. I want to apologize to my fiancée, my children, as well as my mother, father, and brothers for the mistake that I made. I also want to apologize to the UFC, my coaches, my sponsors and equally important to my fans. I am taking this treatment program very seriously. Therefore, at this time my family and I would appreciate privacy.
We see now how seriously "very seriously" really was.
Skip the part where we wring our hands and tick off all the subjective things that constitute a positive life.
No need for bloviating about right and wrong and role-modeling and "the state of the modern athlete."
There's a more basic thing in play here: The greatest fighter in history seems to be addicted as much to false platitudes as he is to anything else. He says one thing, he does another.
That might be the cycle, or at least the symptom, Jones needs to break the most. At 28 years old, he's still a young man. He's also an intelligent young man, certainly a gifted young man. There's reason to believe he can get this rectified.
There was, anyway. Before the disingenuous pledges became one too many. For now, fans have no choice but to take his word for it, but they can decide how much worth those words carry.
"I just can't wait for that part of the story to start to take place," Jones said during Friday's conference call. "I'm not there yet, but it's coming. Mark my words."
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