It's been less than a year since former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was arrested for a hit-and-run accident, which left a pregnant woman with a broken wrist and resulted in "Bones" being stripped of his 205-pound title and suspended.
Jones plead guilty, but avoided any jail time and was placed on an 18-month probation this past September.
Fast forward a few months later and Jones found himself behind bars once again, this time for violating his probation due to being issued several tickets at a traffic stop in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The former champion was captured on video arguing with the officer and calling him "despicable," a "pig," and a "liar."
He appeared before a judge in New Mexico Second Judicial District Court on Thursday morning and is expected to be released from Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center later this afternoon (full story here).
The question as to whether or not Jones is getting the proper influence and support from his management and those closest to him has been raised for years now. That is nothing new. And with Jones recent arrest, fans, media members and fellow fighters alike are once again asking: "Why hasn't his management and those closest to him gotten through to him, so he steers clear of trouble?"
UFC Hall of Famer and two-time champion, Randy Couture was a guest on SiriusXM Fight Club on Tuesday (March 29, 2016) and he told hosts Steve Cofield and RJ Clifford, it just simply comes down to Jones himself.
"I think at some point we have to be honest and recognize that there is only so much a manager can do," Couture said. "At the end of the day, it has to be the integrity and the decisions that Jon Jones himself makes. No manager is going to keep him from making some of those poor choices. It boils down to Jon and Jon only. There is no manager that can be there all the time unless you want to handcuff yourself to Jon 24/7 and that is not realistic either. It ultimately boils down to Jon and Jon's responsibility is on Jon. It's not on a manager or anybody else."
"The Natural" was then asked if he thinks maybe it's just the fact that today's top athletes in the sport can't handle the fame, money and attention, which was much different from when he first came up in the sport.
Couture, 52, dismissed that notion and reiterated his first sentiments on the matter.
"Again, I don't think that is fair," said Couture, who is currently in Cancun, Mexico filming a new movie. "I think ultimately it boils down to the fighters and the decisions they make. Yeah, there were guys back in the old days that made poor decisions and it didn't make headline news all the time, but we were still, certainly in on our communities people that everybody was looking at. You lost your autonomy once you stepped out and were on a pay-per-view. That's the way it was. I started getting stopped at Costco, recognized at every mall I went to, and there is some responsibility that comes with that, that comes with this job and being in the public eye. And I think any fighter that has been doing this for any amount of time should recognize that. And again, it boils down to your own integrity and the decisions you decide to make."
Jones is still scheduled for his upcoming return bout against current 205-pound champion Daniel Cormier, which headlines UFC 197 on April 23, 2016.
SiriusXM Fight Club can be heard on SiriusXM RUSH Channel 93 from 4-6 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Thursday.
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