Jon Jones has accumulated a wealth of labels throughout a 16-year UFC career that is almost exhausting in its complexity.
First, he was the wunderkind, when he ran through esteemed contenders like Maurício Rua, Quinton Jackson, Lyoto Machida and Rashad Evans, as he built his case as the new face of the sport. In 2011 at age 23, he became the UFC’s youngest champion.
Quickly, he was criticized for his maneuvering in the cutthroat and often caustic world of combat sports, when UFC president Dana White called him “selfish” for not accepting a last-minute opponent in 2012. Similar takes persist today on social media, from fighters and fans and observers in the sport who want to steer Jones toward their entertainment of choice. “On the internet everyone’s like, ‘You’re a duck,’” Jones said in an interview, referring to him choosing certain fights and, in some minds, ducking others. “Is being called a duck supposed to sway my decisions? What is this, high school?”
A string of deeper, more troubling setbacks throughout his career has often prompted even sharper assessments. He failed three drug tests, and explained the first to USA Today in 2016 by saying: “I was a drug addict.” Jones has regularly faced legal troubles, including accusations of hitting women,…
