Dana White: young champions follow Jones's example more than Rousey's

Dana uses Rousey as a positive example of a champion. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC

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Reaching the top of any high-performance sport while still very young is for few. And more difficult than reaching a prominent position is knowing how to deal with the other aspects of success, such as hype and fame. In MMA, the recent example of Jon Jones, who was stripped of his title after being involved in several controversies outside the Octagon, brought the issue back to the surface.

UFC president Dana White said that examples like Jones' are quite common. According to the director, young stars need to choose between following the example of “Bones” or following the same path as Ronda Rousey, who, despite having achieved success at a very young age, remained focused on her goals as an athlete.

“I've said this for a long time: Anytime someone wins the title at such a young age and has the fame and money they see combined, it's going to be a difficult journey. Do you see people who follow the path of a Ronda Rousey or people who saw some Jon Jones. I would say that more people follow the path of Jon Jones than that of Ronda Rousey. That’s it”, said White, in an interview with the program “Off The Record”, on “TSN”. “This guy [Jones] needs to resolve his legal situation, resolve his issues and then decide if he wants to fight again,” he continued.

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