UFC 232: Jon Jones Plans to “Prioritize my Emotions” After Apologizing to Fighters

Jon Jones is reporting that he’s apologized to every fighter he’s seen in person, as a result of the relocation of  UFC 232, but now “Bones” intends to focus on his bout with Alexander Gustafsson.

The MMA world is still reeling from the news that UFC 232 has been moved from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, as the result of an atypical result for a drug test Jones recently took. Although USADA and the UFC believe the abnormal result stems from Jones’ positive test last year, and that the star isn’t at fault, not everyone is on board with that narrative. Further, none of that changes the fact that fighters and likely thousands of fans had to change their accommodations and travel plans for UFC 232, last minute.

Well, recently Jones spoke with MMA Junkie, and the renowned/controversial fighter reported the following:

“I feel good,” Jones said. “I really can’t afford to feel any other way. I feel bad for the fans. I went around today apologizing to every UFC fighter that was on the card that I’ve seen in person. So far, they’ve all said that they’ve forgiven me, and I think I need to prioritize my emotions and save all the emotions for after the fight. After the fight, I definitely plan on doing what I can do to give back to fans who really lost out.”

“Honestly, my initial reaction was ‘not again,’” Jones related. “It felt like a nightmare, but honestly, I think my faith in God has really, really helped me out with this situation, just believing that, ‘Hey, listen, this is all what my story is going to be. Just be with me, God, through it all, and keep me strong to handle all this.’ Some things are out of my control, and you’ve just got to learn to focus on what you can control.”

Now, if you believe that Jones has never knowingly taken performance-enhancing drugs, which is what he’s claimed (and last year’s case ended with an arbiter concluding “Bones” didn’t attempt to cheat), then his apology should count for something. In addition, it wasn’t Jones’ decision to move the whole card on just a week’s notice. But, we all know that this latest incident is only going to make Jones that much more of a polarizing figure.

All this aside, it’s going to be interesting to see whether all this pre-fight drama impacts Saturday’s bout between Jones and Alexander Gustafsson. UFC 232 will now be hosted by The Forum.