First things first: I’m rooting for Jon Jones. I want him to follow through on his self-improvement goals, focus on humility, turn his life around. Over the last 18 months or so, it seemed he was making progress in that direction. In September 2018, shortly after a performance-enhancing drug suspension was substantially reduced, a contrite Jones declared himself ready to chase greatness, calling his quest “Comeback Season.”
It was a song we’d heard him sing several times before, but at least this time, the early returns were promising. The first sign was his activity. After a multi-year tear of trouble routinely sidelining him from action, he suddenly found some consistency in the cage.