UFC star Jared Gordon makes shocking revelation about drug abuse and relapse

UFC lightweight Jared Gordon has shed light upon his battle against drug abuse and relapse.

After first getting addicted to pain medication while dealing with a combat sports-related injury at 19, Gordon has self-admittedly been through several ups and downs in his quest to stay sober. That has included several trips to rehabilitation centers and three drug overdoses, one of which ended with him being legally dead for a couple of minutes.

In a pair of tweets, 'Flash' has now alluded to his significant relapse after his fight against Jeff Lentz. In Gordon's featherweight divisional debut, he faced Lentz for the vacant CFFC featherweight title at CFFC 48 on May 9th, 2015. The fight witnessed Gordon sustain significant damage and lose via third-round TKO (doctor's stoppage).

Referencing the 2015 matchup, the 34-year-old American fighter highlighted that he suffered a broken orbital floor, broken medial orbital wall, and a broken nose. He also received a cut across the bridge of his nose and over his eye.

He'd been sober for about a year and a half before that fight. However, given his previous struggles, an addiction to pain medication and other drugs, he relapsed due to abuse of pain medication after the Lentz fight. In a tweet comprising NSFW images of his injured face, Gordon attached a statement that read as follows:

"In 2015 I broke my orbital floor, medial wall of orbital, and my nose, got cut across the bridge of my nose and over my eye. I was sober for 1.5 years but this injury sent me back to full on IV coke/heroin use. In my last 7.5 years if sobriety I have had 2 surgeries and have..."

Additionally, Jared Gordon followed that up with another tweet. As seen in the tweets, 'Flash' suggested that he's been sober for the past seven and a half years and has undergone two surgeries, throughout which he's stayed sober. Reaching out to others going through similar issues, Gordon tweeted:

"Stayed sober through them both. If you’re struggling with addiction/injuries simultaneously I can try to help. My DM’s are always open"

---

What's next for UFC lightweight Jared Gordon?

Jared Gordon has repeatedly raised awareness regarding the dangers of abusing pain medication and recreational drugs, encouraging others to avoid substance abuse.

Gordon was scheduled to return to the octagon against Jim Miller in June 2023. However, 'Flash' withdrew from that matchup owing to a concussion he suffered in his previous fight against Bobby Green.

Besides, since Jared Gordon's closely-contested unanimous decision defeat against UK MMA superstar Paddy Pimblett in December 2022, many have called for them to clash in a rematch. 'The Baddy' underwent ankle surgery earlier this year and is looking to return soon.

For his part, Jared Gordon recently shot down a potential rematch against Paddy Pimblett. Whether or not their much-awaited rematch materializes remains to be seen.