Give And Go
Michael Angelo S. Murillo
In spectacular fashion over the weekend, mixed martial arts star Jon “Bones” Jones trumpeted his return from being an Ultimate Fighting Championship pariah by reclaiming the light heavyweight title stripped off him by the organization with a knockout victory over erstwhile champion Daniel “DC” Cormier.
It was a turnaround for 30-year-old Jones, who spent the last couple of years battling various issues in and out of the Octagon, including being stripped of his title twice (!) and suspended by the UFC and the Nevada State Athletic Association over anti-doping policy violations.
Jones said the “dark” period was a very difficult time and the road to getting back called for him really buckling up and getting his act together.
That the process culminated in him returning to the top of his division made it all the more rewarding, Jones said.
Not for anything else, the lesson from Jones’ story is surely never giving up.
Most, if not all of us, have our own share of mistakes and shortcomings but that should not stop us from rectifying things and bettering ourselves.
It is one thing that we make mistakes and it is another to compound them with more mistakes.
We must recognize that the piling up of missteps must stop and we have to make a conscious effort to turn things around for the better, much like what Jones has seemingly done with help from people surrounding him.
Jones said it best during his post-fight interview of the kind of journey he had back to the top.
“I made it back, man. It such a beautiful moment. I had to do a lot of right things to be back here. Anybody who let yourself down, your family down, your peers and coaches down, it’s never over. As long as you never quit, it’s not over. And now I’m back here,” a teary-eyed Jones said after his KO win over Cormier in the third round.
In the aftermath of his reclaiming the UFC light heavyweight title, Jones vowed to not let his hard work go to waste and be the champion that fans and peers alike truly deserve.
He is looking at this second chance of a title reign as a fresh start and that the best is yet to come for him.
For his own good, I do hope that these words of him hold and that they are not just lip service.
He is a very good fighter, even arguably the best ever, but he should know better than allowing himself to be included in a list of athletes in history who had it great only to cause their own undoing for their refusal to charge back when things became difficult and blurry.
All the best, Bones, in your return to the top.
Michael Angelo S. Murillo has been a columnist since 2003. He is a BusinessWorld reporter covering the Sports beat.
msmurillo@www.bworldonline.com
