Jon 'Bones' Jones interacts with media during an open training session. (Photo : Getty Images/Aaron Sweet)
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones revealed that he was a drug addict. Jones added that he has been smoking pot since high school and was doing it throughout his MMA career.
"I was a drug addict," Jones said in a recent interview with USA Today. He also mentioned that he started using marijuana in high school and it continued in college.
The 28-year-old disclosed that he is battling the addiction for the most part of his life. "It was literally what I would do in between fights. I was just sitting, enjoying life and thinking that I was a hippie. I didn't feel I was hurting anyone else, didn't feel I was being a bad person," he added.
Ultimately, Jones ended up hurting someone in April 2015 when he was involved in a hit-and-run accident in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He pleaded guilty to one felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident.
It is when Jones' life crumbled as the UFC stripped him of his light heavyweight title and suspended him indefinitely. He also lost his sponsorship deals and there were even questions about his future in MMA.
However, "Bones" was pretty lucky he was only sentenced to 18 months of supervised probation while his felony charge will be dropped. He just needs to complete his extensive program on charitable and community works that involve making 72 speaking appearances, as reported by MMA Junkie.
The pound-for-pound king has also stopped using marijuana but admitted that it was much more difficult to do than training for a fight. He has gotten his life back together with the support of his high school sweetheart and fiancée, Jessie Moses.
The former champion is also thankful for his coach Greg Jackson. He also credited his faith to a higher power for the changes he made in his life.
Jones will get his first chance at redemption on April 23, Sunday at UFC 197 when he faces Ovince Saint Preux for the interim UFC light heavyweight title. He was supposed to face Daniel Cormier but the champion suffered a foot injury in training.
The UFC needs Jones more than ever as the world's largest promotion needs a superstar. Ronda Rousey is still recovering from her injuries in her knockout loss to Holly Holm while Conor McGregor just announced his shocking retirement.
You can watch some of the best highlights of Jones' MMA career in the video below.
