Jon Jones is one of the best talents in the UFC, but his career to this point is known for his nagging injuries and legal issues. He is currently in the midst of a year-long suspension for testing positive for two prohibited substances, clomiphene and letrozole.
But Jones' risk-taking tendencies go back to when he first started in MMA, and it's easy to see why he's been his own worst enemy.
"I had this crazy thing that I would do where I would party one week before every fight and I did that throughout my whole career. It was stupid, but it was this mental crutch that I had. I literally would one week before every fight, I would go out, I would get blacked out wasted," Jones told Joe Rogan on his podcast.
Jones continued: "My logic was if this guy was to beat me somehow I can look myself in the mirror and say that I lost because I got hammered the week before the fight. It was a safety net. I did it my whole career. I would go out and get hammered one week before every fight."
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Despite the heavy partying and late nights, Jones (22-1) kept winning, so he kept partying. It almost cost him in 2013 against Alexander Gustafsson in a five-round battle.
"I had this feeling that I was invincible and I did a lot of wild stuff leading up to that fight," Jones said. "I definitely didn't give it my all. Mainly partying, drinking, staying up all night."
But all that's changed now following a 2015 hit-and-run that left a pregnant woman injured with a broken arm. Jones was arrested in Albuquerque after leaving the scene of an accident on foot, which stripped him of his light heavyweight title.
"I stopped answering my phone calls for a lot of people and I just went into hiding for a while. I just stayed away from the scene until I felt like I was strong enough not to do it. It helped a lot," Jones said.
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"Now I've been sober for almost 16 months and now I have the best times. I remember everything that happens. My friends don't try to ever encourage me to drink or anything and they know I'm not going to. I just have the best times."
While Jones is currently serving a suspension from UFC, he will fight Dan Henderson in a submission grappling match on Sunday, Dec. 11, in Portland, Ore.