UFC lightweight Jared Gordon has not only had to show toughness inside the octagon but also in his life. Gordon has battled homelessness and addiction, which also led to a spell in prison for the fighter.
Speaking to Michael Bisping and Anthony Smith on the Believe You Me podcast, the UFC lightweight explained that he was previously held in a maximum security facility alongside murderers:
"You know, that was a weird time for me man. I was in a maximum security holding, I was dope sick. You know, I was in there with murderers and armed robbers."
Watch Jared Gordon speak to Michael Bisping and Anthony Smith about his life here (quotes from 18:00):
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Gordon was accused of breaking into a drug dealer's house and robbing him but eventually beat the case against himself. Since getting past this 'weird time,' the UFC fighter has managed to turn his life around.
The American recently fought the highly-rated Paddy Pimblett during the co-main event at UFC 282: Błachowicz vs. Ankalaev. Many believed 'Flash' did enough to beat Pimblett. However, 'The Baddy' managed to win via unanimous decision.
Nonetheless, Gordon's 'stock' has certainly risen in the UFC after proving to be a much tougher test than Pimblett could have imagined at UFC 282.
Chael Sonnen believes Paddy Pimblett will benefit from the controversial win against Jared Gordon at UFC 282
As mentioned, Jared Gordon recently suffered a tough loss against Paddy Pimblett at UFC 282, with many believing 'Flash' did more than enough to get his hand raised after three rounds.
However, Chael Sonnen surprisingly believes that Pimblett will be the one to benefit from the controversy. Sonnen explained that because everyone is speaking about 'The Baddy' beating Gordon, the result should be seen as a positive for the Englishman:
"If a fight is over, on the back end of it, whoever was part of that card that gets talked about the most wins... Paddy is being talked about more than anybody, Paddy wins. That's how this works if you're talking about stock, if you're talking about rising, if you're talking about star power. That's how it works."
Watch Sonnen speak about the UFC 282 bout here:
Jared Gordon now holds a UFC record of seven wins and five losses. But the American has certainly earned the MMA world's respect. He has only lost to tough opponents such as Pimblett, Grant Dawson, and Charles Oliveira.