LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 07: Mixed martial artist Jon Jones takes questions during a news conference at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino to address being pulled from his light heavyweight title fight at UFC 200 against Daniel Cormier due to a potential violation of the UFC’s anti-doping policy on July 7, 2016, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ethan Miller/Getty Images/AFP
Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who is serving his one-year suspension due to doping, recently shared another disturbing revelation about himself.
Speaking to UFC commentator Joe Rogan on his podcast on Thursday (Friday in Manila), the former pound-for-pound great said he used to drown himself in alcohol before he stepped foot inside the cage.
“I literally would, one week before every fight, I would go out and I would get blacked out wasted,” the 29-year-old controversial athlete said.
With an almost unblemished record of 22 wins and one defeat, Jones admitted that his dominant run as champion was plagued with insecurities and self-doubt, which led him to always carry a “mental crutch.”
“My logic was, if this guy were to beat me somehow, I can look myself in the mirror and say, the reason I lost is because I got hammered the week before the fight,” he disclosed.
Jones, whose only loss came after a disputed disqualification defeat in his fight against Matt Hamil due to illegal elbows in 2009, was seen as an invincible force after defending his title eight times.
Ironically enough, Jones also said that he only stopped doing his unconventional practice right before his fight with Ovince St. Preux. Although he won the bout, Jones was heavily criticized by pundits due to his lack of aggression and inability to finish OSP, who was deemed as a much lesser fighter than he.
The US Anti-Doping Agency’s (USADA) ban of Jones will be lifted on July 9, 2017. Khristian Ibarrola