Jon Jones made a momentous return to action at UFC 285 by winning the heavyweight championship in his divisional debut against Ciryl Gane.
At the post-fight press conference, Jones spoke about his journey of being accepted by UFC fans despite his run-ins with the law and various other controversies.
“You know, when I first got into the UFC, I would talk about God a lot and wanting to be a good person. And then people got to see that my life wasn’t perfect. That I made mistakes, that I sin and that I fall down. And I think for a long time people looked at me as just an incredibly fake individual. And I think, as of right now, people could just see that I’m a human. That I do love God, but I’m a human. And Christians aren’t perfect.”
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Over the course of his career, Jones has had various charges levied against him, including domestic violence, a hit-and-run conviction, and battery. He has also been suspended twice by the UFC after failing drug tests by the United States Anti-Doping Agency.
'Bones', however, claimed that his flaws only make him more relatable than ever to the fans:
“I just think I’m more relatable to people than I’ve ever been. And despite how many times I mess up, I do try to stand for good. And something that’s bigger than me. And I just think there’s a relatability that I have with people. Either you absolutely hate me or you just learning to understand the man that I am.”
Check out Jon Jones' full comments on YouTube:
Dana White gives his final word on Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou matchup
Former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has continually taken shots at Jon Jones in the build-up to fight night. He also took to Twitter to congratulate Jones on his championship victory but slid in a snide salutation.
UFC president Dana White was asked about the possibility of matching up 'The Predator' against 'Bones' and he responded with a resolute dismissal of the idea. He said:
"They want to see Francis do what? I tried to- I tried to make that fight. Done [for]. Never. Not gonna happen. We tried to make that fight with him for three years. You gotta want that fight. Listen, we all want to see a fight. Guy’s gotta want the fight, Francis doesn’t want the fight. Can’t make him fight. And I doubt it would have gone any different.”
Check out Dana White's comments below: