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After a six-month suspension and the stripping of his championship, Jon Jones is continuing his push towards redemption.
Last month, Jones reached a plea deal with prosecutors stemming from an incident in April when he was involved in a hit-and-run accident in Albuquerque, N.M., that injured a pregnant woman. “Bones” was reinstated by the UFC last week.
The former light heavyweight champ hasn’t said much about his reinstatement but he did release a 30-second video of him engaging in a little celebratory shimmy on the day he was officially reinstated by the UFC.
So, there’s that.
However, according to Jones’ longtime manager, Malki Kawa, Jones has been doing a lot more than dancing, “The only word that can really describe Jon right now is ‘focused,'" Kawa said on Monday’s edition of the MMA Hour. "I've never seen him this focused. He's super focused. He’s focused more than he’s ever been before.”
“Listen, everybody's got their opinions – he did this, he did that, whatever – that's all fine and dandy. He's still the greatest fighter we've ever seen, right. I’ve watched him through many different camps and the coaches have told me how he’s done certain things in different camps…this is the first time that he doesn't have a fight scheduled, he's in Albuquerque, and he's actually training. Most of the time when Jon doesn't have a fight, he doesn't train at all. There's no weightlifting, there's no jiu-jitsu practice, there's no boxing, there isn't anything. So, this is the first time we can sit here, all of us, and we can say he's actually putting in some work. And he's really putting in some work.”
At 28, Jones is already regarded as the greatest fighter to ever slip on a pair of open-fingered gloves. If he’s finally ‘really putting in some work’ then we shudder to think of the fighter Jon Jones could become as he closes in on 30.
Kawa says that Jones has only two concerns: becoming a ‘monster’ inside of the Octagon, and becoming a great human being outside. He explains that the conversations with his client are nowhere near the same as six months ago, or even three months ago – as far as Kawa is concerned, Jon Jones is a changed man.
No one was sure when, or even if, Jones was going to come back. He’s presumably made enough money that he could walk away from the sport today and still live comfortably. And being the greatest fighter ever affords you the advantage of not having to worry about your legacy. So anything Jones does upon a return would be a cherry on the top of an already stellar, hall-of-fame career.
But there is one obstacle Jones (and the entire sport, for that matter) has been unable to conquer: the state of New York.
MMA is not legal in New York. The sport has struggled for decades to gain access into the final state to not allow professional, sanctioned competition. Jones, a native of Endicott, NY, is the greatest fighter to come out of New York since ‘Iron Mike’ Tyson in the mid-80s.
So, if UFC fans are wondering about a Jon Jones return, how does April in New York sound?
“Were working that out with UFC right now,” said Kawa about his client's return. “Personally, I think in a perfect world, New York State gets approved and he makes a comeback April 23 at Madison Square Garden. I mean that’s in a perfect world. If the stars align for UFC, the state of New York, and for Jon to come back and win his belt in front of his home crowd. That would be pretty cool.”
UFC president Dana White told Jim Rome earlier this summer that Jones would ‘absolutely’ get an immediate title shot upon his eventual return. So, that means a second fight with current champ Daniel Cormier is all but assured. If MMA can’t get legalized in New York, then look for Jones/Cormier 2 to headline the historic UFC 200 in July at the brand new MGM Arena in Las Vegas.
Last month, Jones reached a plea deal with prosecutors stemming from an incident in April when he was involved in a hit-and-run accident in Albuquerque, N.M., that injured a pregnant woman. “Bones” was reinstated by the UFC last week.
The former light heavyweight champ hasn’t said much about his reinstatement but he did release a 30-second video of him engaging in a little celebratory shimmy on the day he was officially reinstated by the UFC.
So, there’s that.
However, according to Jones’ longtime manager, Malki Kawa, Jones has been doing a lot more than dancing, “The only word that can really describe Jon right now is ‘focused,'" Kawa said on Monday’s edition of the MMA Hour. "I've never seen him this focused. He's super focused. He’s focused more than he’s ever been before.”
“Listen, everybody's got their opinions – he did this, he did that, whatever – that's all fine and dandy. He's still the greatest fighter we've ever seen, right. I’ve watched him through many different camps and the coaches have told me how he’s done certain things in different camps…this is the first time that he doesn't have a fight scheduled, he's in Albuquerque, and he's actually training. Most of the time when Jon doesn't have a fight, he doesn't train at all. There's no weightlifting, there's no jiu-jitsu practice, there's no boxing, there isn't anything. So, this is the first time we can sit here, all of us, and we can say he's actually putting in some work. And he's really putting in some work.”
At 28, Jones is already regarded as the greatest fighter to ever slip on a pair of open-fingered gloves. If he’s finally ‘really putting in some work’ then we shudder to think of the fighter Jon Jones could become as he closes in on 30.
Kawa says that Jones has only two concerns: becoming a ‘monster’ inside of the Octagon, and becoming a great human being outside. He explains that the conversations with his client are nowhere near the same as six months ago, or even three months ago – as far as Kawa is concerned, Jon Jones is a changed man.
No one was sure when, or even if, Jones was going to come back. He’s presumably made enough money that he could walk away from the sport today and still live comfortably. And being the greatest fighter ever affords you the advantage of not having to worry about your legacy. So anything Jones does upon a return would be a cherry on the top of an already stellar, hall-of-fame career.
But there is one obstacle Jones (and the entire sport, for that matter) has been unable to conquer: the state of New York.
So, if UFC fans are wondering about a Jon Jones return, how does April in New York sound?
“Were working that out with UFC right now,” said Kawa about his client's return. “Personally, I think in a perfect world, New York State gets approved and he makes a comeback April 23 at Madison Square Garden. I mean that’s in a perfect world. If the stars align for UFC, the state of New York, and for Jon to come back and win his belt in front of his home crowd. That would be pretty cool.”
UFC president Dana White told Jim Rome earlier this summer that Jones would ‘absolutely’ get an immediate title shot upon his eventual return. So, that means a second fight with current champ Daniel Cormier is all but assured. If MMA can’t get legalized in New York, then look for Jones/Cormier 2 to headline the historic UFC 200 in July at the brand new MGM Arena in Las Vegas.
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Ryan McKinnell is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports Cagewriter blog. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!