Jon Jones officially announced his retirement on Saturday after UFC CEO Dana White broke the news Jones was walking away from competition during the UFC Baku Post-Fight Press Conference in Azerbaijan.
Jones may not step inside the octagon again, but he hasn’t stopped providing headlines. The 37 year-old is facing misdemeanor charges in New Mexico stemming from an alleged ‘leaving the scene of an accident’ in February.
Former two-division UFC champion, and Jones rival, Daniel Cormier wasn’t surprised by the news.
“The saddest thing about this to me is that it’s not surprising,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “I’ve seen him do things over the course of his career that have been very dangerous and very – it’s just not smart.”
“It made me question, what does this guy’s life look like when he does not have this,” Cormier continued. “I felt, when I was watching that, that Jon Jones is so tied to mixed martial arts. What does life look like when it’s gone? It will leave such a void as it does for so many fighters.”
Related: Jon Jones releases statement following retirement announcement
Cormier hopes the next chapter of Jones’ life will be one of family, filling the void with something positive, and finding true purpose.
“I hope that as he goes into this next phase of his career, if it’s over forever, he fills the void with something positive. He’s got some beautiful children. He’s got a longtime girlfriend. He needs to fill that time with those people if he’s going to be able to come out of the other side of his career with something else,” Cormier said.
“Even if you have a lot of money, you can have money and still not have purpose. His purpose is in those beautiful kids of his. His purpose is in that beautiful woman of his. That’s his purpose. He needs to find a way to lock in on that and not all the other things,” continued Cormier.
“If I never heard another story like that about Jon Jones, that would not be soon enough. I don’t want to hear that. I don’t celebrate that… It makes me look at another black athlete that is struggling. I hope this guy gets it together.”
“Jon Jones got to get this sh*t together, man.”
