J. Jones (photo) spoke on US TV about a case of cocaine use. Photo: Reproduction/YouTube
Last week, the information that the UFC champion Jon Jones, caught in a surprise drug test for cocaine use, had spent only one night in the rehabilitation clinic where he had been admitted, leaving the MMA community intrigued. In his first major interview after the controversy, however, Jones explained the situation and said that the decision was made by the responsible doctors. Furthermore, the fighter said that since leaving the institution, he has continued treatment at home and has been undergoing weekly exams.
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“Going to the rehab clinic was a collective decision. Some of my business partners thought it would be a good idea, but I told them, 'I don't have a drug problem, I just got caught.' They said they didn't know if I had a drug problem or not, but that I should go to the clinic and let the doctors decide how healthy I was. And I accepted. So, I went to the clinic and had a 24-hour assessment, talked to three doctors for about seven hours and we talked about drugs, my life and they decided that I didn't need to be admitted. Then they put me in a home for patients who weren't addicts, I stayed there and these professionals came to me and said, 'Jones, we believe you made a big mistake, but you don't have to live here with us all the time. However, we will continue testing you by coming to your home twice a week. We will test it frequently'. And they are still testing me weekly. Sessions will continue for one, two or three times a week. I don't know what the process is like, even because of the program they put me in. But when I went to the rehabilitation clinic, I stayed there for as long as I needed to stay”, guaranteed the champion, in an interview with the North American channel “FOX Sports 1”, an Ultimate partner.
Furthermore, Jones, who also revealed that he had used cocaine for the first time during his college days, said that he feared that the results of the test could cost him his fight against Daniel Cormier at UFC 182. “It was a day of nervous breakdowns. I knew I had done something wrong and that the test would show it, but I didn't tell anyone. Only my uncle knew that I could test positive. I kept everything secret. Of course it crossed my mind that I could be suspended or that I might not fight, but when I got to the weigh-in, I realized that no one had said anything about it and that the test might not have come back positive”, he commented.
Finally, “Bones”, as he is known, reinforced the public apology already made on the day the case became public and assured that he had learned a lot from the situation. “My message to my fans is: I'm sorry that I may have disappointed you. I disappointed myself, I disappointed my team, my family, the UFC… this is a sincere apology. I'm also trying to understand who I am. Like everyone, I also have my problems to deal with, I have my insecurities and my life, just like you. The best thing I can take away from all this is to keep winning, not let these things happen again and learn. This is not a defeat if you learn from it. I'm not going to sit here and say I'll never drink or enjoy life again. I think there are a lot of people who understand this. The important thing is to learn when we fall, not to be too hard on yourself and try to do things in the best way possible”, he concluded.
At 27, Jon Jones has a professional record of 21 wins and one loss. After defending the light heavyweight belt for the eighth consecutive time, against Daniel Cormier on January 3rd, Jones now awaits his next challenger, who comes out of the duel between Alexander Gustafson e Anthony Johnson – who will face each other next Saturday (24), at UFC on FOX 14, in Sweden.
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