by After winning the heavyweight title at UFC 285 on Saturday, Jon Jones made his usual religious call. He even thanked all the “prayer warriors” who sided with him and said he felt for each and every one of them.
But this side of Jones has been overshadowed by his many transgressions and run-ins with the law. During the post-fight scrum, “Bones” addressed those mistakes and how they made him more “relative” to people.
“When I first started at the UFC, I talked a lot about God and wanted to be a good person,” Jones told the media. “And then people saw that my life wasn’t perfect. That I make mistakes and that I sin and fall.
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“And I think people have long considered me an incredibly wrong person. And I think right now people can just see that I’m human. That I love God, but I’m human.
“Christians are not perfect. And I just think I’m more relatable with people than I’ve ever been. And although I often screw up, I try to stand for the good and for something bigger than me.
“I just think I have a relationship with people where they either absolutely hate me or are just learning to understand the man that I am.”
UFC President Dana White praised Jones, declaring him the undeniable GOAT after his easy win over Gane. However, the boss was a little worried about Jones having an afterparty given his past when it comes to partying.
“It worries me a bit, yeah,” White said during his media scrum. “I won’t lie. Like I said, I told Hunter (Campbell), charter a plane and get him back to New Mexico asap. I didn’t know he had an after party, but (knocks on wood).”
But according to Jones, White has nothing to worry about.
“Dana knows we all make mistakes, and I’m not the man… I’m not even going to say that. I look forward to going out, I look forward to meeting my fans, I look forward to shaking their hands, looking into their eyes, hugging them.
“I know the tickets are more expensive than usual and a lot of people don’t get the chance to see me in person and I want to give as much good energy as I can. So my afterparty isn’t 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 martial arts since 2012 and has been part of the Bloody Elbow team since 2016. He has also competed in amateur mixed martial arts and submission grappling tournaments. (full bio)
