The prison joke Jon Jones made on the MMA Hour went down like a lead balloon.
Arguably the greatest fighter ever spent some time behind bars recently for violating his probation stemming from traffic citations.
With Jones set to make his highly anticipated comeback at UFC 197 against Ovince Saint Preux, the brief stint in jail wasn’t ideal for his preparations.
He was asked about his time in jail on the MMA Hour and his immediate response to Ariel Helwani’s question was to make a joke which resulted in some deafening awkward silence.
After the gag, Jones did treat the question seriously, explaining that it was a very humbling experience and made him more appreciative of what he has.
“It was an opportunity to be really humble. It honestly made me think about some of the things I’ve earned. My home, my bed mattress, my beautiful fiancee, my kids. It made me really think about how blessed I am. It made me more grateful about freedom and being famous. Things that I take for granted.”
“I was sitting in my jail cell eating ramen noodles, eating the worst food ever, 23 hours a day on lockdown. It was just like man, what a different way to live.”
Jones believes that he has come out of the other side of the experience a better man with a new perspective on life. He closed off by saying how grateful he was for getting the opportunity to fight in the world’s largest MMA promotion for a living.
“It was for a reason. I think God has a plan for me. I think it made me more humble. I saw things like the opportunity I have to compete for the UFC all over the world and I thought about how my life could be so different.”
