Jon Jones Fight News: "Bones" Reveals His Mother Lost A Leg Due To Diabetes Prior To UFC 197
Former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones may have been the most dominant 205-pound title holder in UFC history, but he has also had his share of struggles.
In 2015, "Bones" was stripped of his title after being involved in a driving misdemeanor when he hit a vehicle of a pregnant woman, causing her to break her arm. To make matters worse, Jones was caught fleeing the scene on foot.
Follow-up investigations concluded that the woman had suffered a broken arm because of the crash, while Jones was found to have a marijuana pipe in his vehicle. He was then sentenced to 18 months of probation, and was also slapped with an indefinite suspension in the UFC.
After fulfilling his legal duties, Jones was then reinstated in the UFC last October. But less than six months after, he was once again involved in a run-in with the law. In late March, the 28-year old fighter was pulled over by an Albuquerque police officer for allegedly drag racing. For his part, Jones vehemently contested the arrest, but was still given five citations.
A few days later, he was arrested for probation violation. His legal counsel, however, pled not guilty to the said allegations, stating Jones may have been wrongfully profiled.
Jones made his UFC return after almost a year and a half off the cage last April 23rd at UFC 197, against Ovince Saint Preux. While he did win by unanimous decision, many have deemed it as an "ugly victory" for MMA's current pound-for-pound king, attributing his performance to ring rust.
But apparently, there is something deeper within the fighter's personal life, which was later revealed during the UFC 200 press conference in New York on Wednesday (as reported by MMA Fighting). According to Jones, his preparations for UFC 197 was a difficult time, as his mother lost her leg battling diabetes.
"A lot of you guys don't really realize what's been going on in my personal life. My mom is in a real bad position," Jones said. "She's really losing a fight to diabetes right now. She got her leg cut off the same week of my fight, so that really messed with me a lot."
Jones is now slated to face current light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier as the new main event fight at UFC 200 on July 9th in Las Vegas.