Jon Jones: ‘I just can’t stop thinking about my boyfriend I left back there in that jail cell’

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has had a crazy time just weeks ahead of what was supposed to be a title fight with current champion Daniel Cormier at UFC 197.

It was reported on Friday that Cormier suffered an injury in training and would not be able to fight on the scheduled April 23rd date for UFC 197 against Jones. The UFC revealed shortly after that Ovince Saint Preux would step in on short notice to fight Jones for the interim title in the main event of UFC 197.

To add to the madness of UFC 197, Jones was arrested last week and held in an Albuquerque jail for three days after violating his probation terms after receiving a ticket for allegedly drag racing.

Jones spoke with Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour on Monday to talk about his time locked up.

“I just can’t stop thinking about my boyfriend that I left back there in that cell,” Jones said jokingly. “We had some really good times in those short three days. So yeah, it’s kind of sad. I wrote him, but he hasn’t wrote me back yet, just hoping he got my letter.”

Ariel was a little thrown off by Jones’ comments, but Jones went on to talk about the experience in jail.

“It was an opportunity to be re-humbled,” Jones said. “It honestly made me think about some of the things that I’ve earned. You know, my home, my bed mattress, my beautiful fiance, and my kids. You know, it just made me really think about how blessed I am and made me more grateful than ever. To have freedom, and to be famous, you know all this stuff man, you know, things that I take for granted.”

Jones said that by being in a cell with basically nothing, it gave him a lot of time to reflect on his situation.

“You know I just thought to myself, you’re in a jail cell eating ramen noodles, eating the worst food ever, 23-hour lockdown. What a different way to live. To go from having so much to just, I remember a guy gave me a pen and paper, and I remember feeling so grateful for just such a simple thing.”

“It was for a reason man. It was for a reason. I think God has a plan for me. Maybe I needed more humbling. I don’t know. But it definitely did that.”

Will Jon Jones be able to stay away from trouble after this humbling experience? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section on what the future holds for one of the greatest fighters to ever step into the Octagon.