Apparently, a private moment turned public for Jon Jones.<\/p>\n
Yesterday, a clip of the former two-division Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champion surfaced online, revealing that \u201cBones\u201d is dealing with severe arthritis in his hip<\/a>. According to Jones, however, the conversation was never meant to be heard by the public.<\/p>\n Now that it has gone viral, Jones addressed the situation in an interview with TMZ Sports<\/a>, confirming the diagnosis while expressing frustration over the leak.<\/p>\n \u201cLooks like a private conversation I had at DBX 5 in Houston<\/a> made its way out into the wild,\u201d Jones said. \u201cIt happens. Like most fighters, we deal with injuries quietly sometimes \u2014 and in my case, for years. A lot of us walk around limping most days, paying the ultimate price for our health.\u201d<\/p>\n Jones made it clear that the arthritis is real.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re wondering whether it\u2019s true, it is,\u201d he added. \u201cI\u2019m grateful for all my battle scars, and if I could do it all over again, I absolutely would without hesitation. It\u2019s been what I wake up for in my career every day.\u201d<\/p>\n The 38-year-old also pushed back on criticism that he has slowed down in recent years.<\/p>\n \u201cEven after becoming one of the most accomplished fighters in the history of the sport, my critics still give me grief about slowing down,\u201d Jones continued. \u201cThat\u2019s called living to fight another day \u2014 taking the lessons learned and applying them to business instead of the Octagon. It\u2019s called evolution.\u201d<\/p>\n Jones revealed that the UFC is fully aware of his condition \u2014 and that any potential return would need to be worth the physical toll.<\/p>\n \u201cThe UFC knows the extent of my arthritis,\u201d he said. \u201cThey also know that if I were to put it all on the line one last time and endure that level of pain, the reward would have to be something special \u2014 something more than a fat payday<\/a>. For me, that was and still is the White House.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhether that fight happens or not, my career has been one for the ages,\u201d Jones concluded. \u201cI left a big part of myself in that Octagon, and I\u2019m grateful for every bit of it. And don\u2019t get it twisted \u2014 I\u2019ll still kick 99% of your asses out there. Still lifting big numbers, still training, still outworking most of you\u2026 just maybe after a proper warm-up and a good stretch.\u201d<\/p>\n