Jon Jones: Speculative Fiction

James Crawford
Aug 24, 2017 · 3 min read

A strange road lies ahead for Jon Jones, as he awaits his fate at the hands of public opinion and USADA. Jones, a fighter who has spent his career attracting the ire of fans through endless controversy has seemingly drawn his last straw with fans.

It’s another huge letdown not just for MMA, but all of sports. Jones now joins the club of Pete Rose, Lance Armstrong and Barry Bonds, their names synonymous with public shame, forever tied to deception.

1987 Rookie Card: Way way before.

There seems to be just as much confusion as anger. The rush to condemn him from fans stands in stark contrast to the hesitation to declare guilt from manager Malki Kawa, Daniel Cormier, and even USADA itself.

With anticipation brewing, and the MMA community in shock, we are coming to the realization that we may never get to see the best athlete in the history of the world compete again.

The greats of their time, Jordan, Ali, and Tyson shifted culture. They gave fans a shared experience of graceful destruction (including Jordan’s dunks from the free throw line). Jones is an evolved version of that, showcased not only by his head kick to Cormier, but the way he stalked him and tripped him before finishing him off.

Jones’ manager Malki Kawa is certainly convinced of his innocence, claiming it’s possible he received tainted supplements. I feel like we all want to believe that, but we’ve been scorched enough times to erode all trust.

Facing a possible four year suspension seems like premature death for his career, and it’s hard to imagine Jones as anything other than the UFC’s 205 pound assassin.

It’s not up to me, or anyone else for that matter to decided his fate. Ultimately, that is in his hands, regardless of the outcome. Redemption is always possible, although what form that takes is hard to say.

Perhaps someday we’ll all understand this character, and see an emergence of something positive from this.

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James Crawford

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🎬 Storyteller |🔺Brazilian Jiujitsu 😈 | Mindset. Business. Writing.

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