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Jon Jones believes his legendary career in the Ultimate Fighting Championship could have been even greater if he had better control over his alcohol use.
The former two-division champion reflected on his career during a recent interview, admitting that his partying lifestyle during his prime contributed to many of the setbacks he experienced outside of the Octagon.
Jon Jones reflects on UFC career setbacks and how alcohol affected his MMA legacy
Jones, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time, recently reflected on his antics outside the Octagon, which he believes caused several major career setbacks.
"I became a little bit of a party boy when I was young," Jones said in an interview with Ring Magazine when asked what he would change about his career. "And sometimes I ask myself, ‘Jon, how much farther would you have been if you would have never started with the alcohol?'"
Jones won titles at both light heavyweight and heavyweight. Many consider him undefeated, with his lone defeat coming against Matt Hamill via disqualification back in 2009, a fight he was dominating before an illegal 12-6 elbow prompted a stoppage. However, his life outside the cage was often plagued with controversies, including run-ins with the law and failed drug tests.
"I feel all my setbacks in life have been directly related to alcohol," Jones said. "And I've been able to achieve some amazing things and reach some pretty amazing heights. But I feel like things could have been even much, much higher if I would have never gotten into partying."
Drawing from his experience, Jones shared the following advice for young fighters:
"So, to all you young athletes out there, you know, just keep things in check."
