The Bottom Line: For Jon Jones, Victory Only Goes So Far

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Jon Jones’ ascent in MMA has been accompanied by seeming chaos outside the cage. From police run-ins and drugs to personal drama, there has been a long series of embarrassing incidents for the sport’s best pound-for-pound fighter. Last year’s hit-and-run incident and resulting loss of his Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight title was supposed to be the low point that would force Jones to rethink things, but it was followed by additional road incidents and a brief jail stint that undermined that narrative.

Viewed in isolation, many -- if not most -- of Jones’ foibles can be explained away as simple immaturity and poor judgment. The problem is the sheer volume of these setbacks, which together create the impression of someone whose life is out of control. Jones, if nothing else, would clearly very much like that general impression to go away. He has never embraced the role of villain, like Floyd Mayweather Jr. did, even though it would likely make him a much bigger box-office attraction. Instead, he continues his quest to be embraced and loved. In order to do that, he needs to demonstrate he has moved past his previous actions.

His appearance at UFC 197 on Saturday in Las Vegas should be a golden opportunity on that front. Jones is finally returning to action after a 15-month hiatus that feels much longer. For almost any other fighter on the planet, it would be a chance to prove those past issues are either overblown or in the past. Moreover, it would be an opportunity to cement a legacy and validate excellence through performance. Unfortunately for Jones, he isn’t any other fighter. His uniqueness works against him. Victory at UFC 197 and beyond doesn’t offer Jones nearly the validation that he would surely hope.

On one level, Jones’ return could serve as proof of his greatness as a fighter inside the cage. However, there is no active fighter in the sport with less to prove as an athlete than Jones. He is a hall-of-fame fighter if he retires tomorrow. He beat the current light heavyweight champion last year and will be favored even more heavily if and when they fight again. He has beaten all the top contenders, save for Anthony Johnson. There isn’t much young talent seeming to emerge as threats, either. He has next to nothing to gain from defeating Ovince St. Preux or even Daniel Cormier in terms of his reputation as a fighter. He’s defending what he has already accomplished.

Usually when a fighter has little to gain, it means they have much to lose. That isn’t really the case, either, with Jones, at least in terms of his reputation as a fighter. He definitely has plenty to lose monetarily, but if Jones for some reason isn’t able to regain the form he previously showcased, it will likely be attributed by most observers to his habits outside the cage catching up with him. Tiger Woods’ fall hasn’t created much in the way of doubt about how good he was at golf before things fell apart.

While Jones’ reputation as a fighter isn’t much in doubt, his reputation as a citizen and public figure very much is. That’s where Jones has plenty of ground to make up. He wants to be the family man with the Gatorade and Reebok sponsorships, the hero who apprehended a robber on the streets of New Jersey shortly before capturing the UFC light heavyweight title back in 2011. It’s hard to imagine it was less than five years ago that the reputation of Jones was so overwhelmingly positive. Regaining that is the bigger goal right now. His reputation as a fighter is quite secure, while his reputation as a person is very much shaky.

Under different circumstances, that validation could come through performance in competition. Josh Hamilton is a prime example, as his success on the field showed that he had his substance-abuse issues under control, just like his struggles on the field were an indicator they had surfaced again. The problem for Jones is that he has been able to maintain a consistently high level of performance even while getting into frequent trouble outside the cage. It’s part of why his supporters -- some consider them his enablers -- often protest against the notion that there are serious issues in the first place.

Regardless of whether Jones thrives or struggles in his return to the Octagon, his supporters and his detractors will likely come out feeling exactly the same about who the man is. Jones would surely like an easier path to redemption, but it’s going to be a gradual and prolonged process. For Jones, it’s a troubling conundrum. His excellence as a fighter to this point has provided a ready solution for any problems that arise in his life. Now, the solutions to his problems lie elsewhere. The Octagon remains his sanctuary, but when he leaves, the same questions will be waiting right there for him.