Israel Adesanya's teammate discredits "scumbag" Jon Jones after title win
Jon Jones made a triumphant return to the octagon at UFC 285 against Ciryl Gane. Jones debuted at heavyweight and successfully won the championship in his first attempt, becoming the eighth fighter in history to be a champion at two different weight classes.
Despite his latest accomplishments further cementing him as the greatest fighter of all time in many people's eyes, some refuse to look past his record outside of the octagon.
UFC lightweight Brad Riddell, who trains alongside former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya at City Kickboxing in Auckland under Eugene Bareman, took to Instagram to call out Jones.
Riddell called Jones a "scum bag" as he listed the former light heavyweight champion's various wrongdoings. Riddell wrote on his Instagram story:
"Jones may have won but at the end of the day he's a scum bag. Beats women and ran over a pregnant lady. He deserves no praise."
Check out a screenshot of Riddell's story posted by Bloody Elbow on Twitter:
"He's a scum bag. Beats women and ran over a pregnant lady."
Brad Riddell responds to Jon Jones winning at UFC 285 https://t.co/QCbXV9VdJw
In 2015, Jones was sought after and later arrested on a hit-and-run charge where his rental car crashed into two others and injured a pregnant woman. Jones fled the scene and later turned himself in after authorities got in touch with his lawyers.
The incident led to the first of his three suspensions from Dana White and the UFC, and he was stripped of his title just as he was scheduled to defend it against Anthony Johnson.
Hours after his Hall of Fame Fight Wing induction, Jon Jones was arrested in Las Vegas on a domestic violence complaint made by his now-fiancee Jessie Moses. However, the two seem to be back together after the public show of affection from Jones in the aftermath of his UFC 285 win.
Jon Jones believes him messing up makes him relatable to people
Despite his many run-ins with the law and repeated substance abuse, Jon Jones believes there is more to him than all of that.
In his post-fight press conference, Jones spoke at length about changing fan perceptions and being considered fake. He admitted to faltering on various occasions but stressed the relatable factor being generated due to his actions.
In a post-fight press conference, 'Bones' said:
“I just think I’m more relatable to people than I’ve ever been. And despite how many times I mess up, I do try to stand for good. And something that’s bigger than me. And I just think there’s a relatability that I have with people. Either you absolutely hate me or you just learning to understand the man that I am.”
With the latest chapter in his career now underway, it is up to the future Hall of Famer to justify the love and support he receives for his octagon exploits outside of it too.
Check out Jon Jones' full press conference on YouTube: