You often see young celebrities, be it an actor, musician or sports star, shoot to the top of their respective fields at a very rapid pace.
And more often than not, it can lead to disaster, as their careers may stray off the right path due to excessive spending, partying, drinking, or even drug use that may come with getting so rich and famous seemingly overnight.
According to current Bellator welterweight contender Paul Daley, that may have been the case with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight titleholder, Jon Jones, who recently admitted himself into a drug rehabilitation center after it was discovered he had tested positive for cocaine metabolites prior to his showdown against Daniel Cormier at UFC 182.
The news, however, wasn't revealed until after last weekend's (Sat., Jan. 3, 2015) pay-per-view (PPV) event, which went down in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Daley gave his thought to WHOATV (via Bloody Elbow), saying that perhaps "Bones" wasn't mentally strong enough to deal with the pressures that come with being a champion at such a young age.
"Obviously he's put himself in a position, first, as a champion you leave yourself open to these kinds of pitfalls. He was a champion at such a young age and he's got a lot of people around him and a lot of his fights are in Las Vegas; a lot of influence (there). I don't think he was at the stage to be mentally strong enough to deal with the pressures that he was having and I think it just spiraled out of control for him. He's a great guy and he's got great character. Look at what he's done for the sport of MMA and look at what he's done for himself as an athlete and for his family. Everybody in life has something to overcome whether its mentally of physically. A lot of athletes, they have money and then they lose money and then there is this drug thing which is frequent in sports. He's gonna get over it, man, he is a champion."
The reaction from the mixed martial arts (MMA) community has been mixed following the news (see them here), with some of Jon's colleagues bashing UFC for "applauding" the champion; while others have shown their support for "Bones."
UFC President Dana White, Reebok, as well as the promotion as a whole have stood behind the troubled 205-pound champion, saying they are confident he will emerge from this situation as a better person.
While it would be easy for "Semtex" to follow suit and bash the promotion for showing what appears to be favoritism to its brightest star -- while he was issued a lifetime ban for punching Josh Koscheck after the bell -- the British banger is taking the high road and keeping it classy.