Jon Jones may not have fought at UFC White House, but the former champion says the landmark event left him feeling proud of how far mixed martial arts has come.
Although UFC CEO Dana White ruled out Jones for the historic card, the longtime champion said the event represented a major milestone for the sport and reinforced its place on the global stage.
Jones praises UFC White House’s significance
Jones admitted to Red Corner MMA that he was impressed by the success of the event and believes it highlighted MMA’s growth over the years.
“I absolutely loved it.”
“It really showed me. It humbled me and it just showed me that our sport is at a prestigious level right now.”
“Now, it’s a very honorable sport to be a part of. Probably one of the most honorable sports to be a part of right now in history.”
Jones also reflected on what it means to be recognized as one of the greatest fighters in UFC history.
“I’m grateful to be considered one of the best in the sports history. It makes me feel a lot more important since the White House card.”
Jones relates to Ilia Topuria’s setback
The event ended with Justin Gaethje knocking out Ilia Topuria to unify the UFC lightweight titles, handing Topuria the first loss of his professional career.
Jones said becoming a UFC champion brings new challenges outside the Octagon and believes those pressures can be difficult to manage.
“When you become a UFC champion, you become more famous right away,”
“There’s just so much that gets thrown at you and if you’re not grounded enough, if you don’t have a strong enough circle and team, it’s easy to get distracted.”
Jones acknowledged that he faced similar struggles during his own career.
“I have fallen victim to all of the things that a young athlete can. The partying, getting in trouble, all of it.”
“But in my situation I had a team that always held me to a high standard and they never allowed me to get discouraged by my downfalls and they just always encouraged me to just keep moving forward.”
Staying champion is the hardest part
As Jones approaches his 39th birthday, he looked back on his own journey while discussing Topuria’s future.
“I always say making it to the UFC is fairly easy,”
“Staying in the UFC is very hard. And staying the UFC champion is almost impossible.”