I’m not sure if this is some type of sympathy ploy or what, but we’ll see.
e UFC has suspended Jon Jones indefinitely following his felony arrest last week. He may never return regardless of his legal situation.
According to his manager Malki Kawa, “Jones may never return to the Octagon.”
“It could very well be the last time we’ve seen Jon Jones in the Octagon,” Kawa told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour. “I think Jon Jones is gonna focus on Jon Jones. I think he’s gonna take the time to do whatever he’s gotta do. And if it’s the last time we’ve seen him fight, it’s the last time we’ve seen him fight. And I’m OK with that.”
Jones, 27, was supposed to fight Anthony Johnson in the main event of UFC 187 on May 23 in Las Vegas. The UFC pulled Jones from the fight and inserted Daniel Cormier.
Jones was arrested last week on a felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident involving personal injury or death.
“What I can just tell you and you guys can read between the lines is that I think every athlete comes to a point and it’s not just Jon Jones,” Kawa said. “I’ve had other guys when they look in the mirror one day, they realize that a lot of it maybe is just sometimes too much. It’s just too much. If you don’t fight a guy on seven days notice, you’re trash. If you stop a mugger, you’re a great guy, thanks so much. Now you’re the new world champion, you have to do all these interviews. There’s so much that goes into it. It’s not just him, that’s what I’m trying to tell you. You see it with GSP, you see it with Anderson.”
Kawa added: “If he ever doesn’t come back to the sport, it’s because he doesn’t want to come back to the sport. If it was because of too much pressure? Could be. If it’s because of the belt? Could be. If it’s because the competition is too much, it could be. Whatever he decides is the reason why he won’t come back to the sport, but it’ll be solely on him. I’m not gonna blame anything or anyone for anything Jon Jones does. And no one, at the same token, can take credit for anything Jon Jones does. Everything that’s Jon Jones’ is Jon Jones’. The good, the bad and the ugly.
“If this is the last time we’ve ever seen him fight and it very well may be, then it’s because of a decision he’s decided to make. It won’t be because of something you guys are perceiving to be a problem. It won’t be because of any of the negative headlines of the positive things he’s done. It’s just because he feels he’s had it. Maybe that’s it.”