Jon Jones is the man of the moment after his win at UFC 285. After dominating Ciryl Gane to become the new heavyweight champion, everything seems to be going right for Jones. However, despite all this, Jones has received criticism for his past actions.
Making his return after a 3-year layoff, Jones had a lot to prove. However, it must be noted that Jones’ absence was due to a number of reasons, outside the Octagon. Additionally, it is well known by now that Jon does not have an entirely spotless drug testing record either.
"He's a scum bag. Beats women and ran over a pregnant lady."
Brad Riddell responds to Jon Jones winning at UFC 285 pic.twitter.com/QCbXV9VdJw
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) March 6, 2023
Taking that into account, UFC lightweight Brad Riddell had some harsh words for Jon. Taking to Instagram, Riddell posted a story saying, “Jones may have won but at the end of the day he is a scumbag. Beats women and ran over a pregnant lady. He deserves no praise.”
For the most part, the comments from Riddell were surprising and unexpected. Notably, his City Kickboxing teammate and long-time rival of Jones, Israel Adesanya was also appreciative of his win against Gane. Although the events in question happened a while ago, it appears that Riddell still takes them seriously. Whilst many have rubbished his comments, many have supported Riddell as well.
What are Brad Riddell’s accusations against Jon Jones?
One of Jon Jones’ most controversial and widely debated topics has been his domestic violence incident with his fiance, Jessie Moses. In September 2021, Jon and Jessie reportedly got into an argument which turned into a physical altercation. According to sources and eyewitnesses, Jessie was seen with injuries to her face and there were also blood stains in their hotel room.
Following the incident, Jones was arrested after leaving the hotel. Although Jon has denied hurting his fiance, people have drawn conclusions based on media reports. Additionally, Jessie also chose to part ways with Jon, at least for a considerable duration. Ahead of UFC 285, the couple seems to have made up and Moses was seen alongside Jon before and after his fight.
The other situation mentioned by Riddell was the hit-and-run case from 2015. According to reports from the Albuquerque Police Department, Jones broke the signal and crashed his SUV into a pregnant lady’s car. Further, Jones quickly fled from the scene and was reportedly carrying marijuana. The pregnant lady, Vanessa Sonnenberg, suffered a broken arm from the incident. At the time, Jones was stripped of his title and suspended from the UFC.
After his 18-month supervised probation, Jones publicly apologized to Sonnenberg and all parties involved. Since these two incidents, Jones has rarely stepped out of line. Thus, do you believe that Jon’s past actions should still be held against him? Should he be given a clean sheet for seemingly mending his ways? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
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