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10th July 2016
01:19pm BST

The initial reaction to Jones getting popped was one of contempt and frustration towards the UFC star mixed with an air of inevitability due to his chequered past outside the cage. Considering he has been given so many chances to get his act together following a laundry list of controversies - including testing positive for cocaine metabolites and injuring a pregnant woman in a hit-and-run before fleeing the scene - the impact of Jones' potentially ending his UFC career in disgrace may have been mollified.
A quick glance at Jones will tell you that the man is genetically-engineered to fight. Having the wingspan of a condor coupled with the fight IQ to properly utilise it has allowed him to become one of the great innovators in combat sports. He has been given all the gifts necessary to become the greatest of all time, but he seems hell-bent on sabotaging this potential at every opportunity.
Every time he steps into the cage, he seems to show us something we've never seen before. Whether it was taking down Cormier several times, nearly ripping Glover Teixeira's shoulder from its socket in the clinch or going on an unprecedented run of dusting legend after legend after becoming the UFC's youngest ever champion, it seemed like there was no limit to what Jones could achieve inside the Octagon.
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What he has done in what has historically been one of the promotion's most competitive divisions has already solidified his place in the greatest of all time discussions alongside the likes of Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva and Demetrious Johnson.
However, at just 28 years of age, the "what if" factor over whether we witnessed him reaching his full potential or not will leave an asterisk beside his name in the debate, if he were to leave the sport now. Judging by the reaction from Dana White, a guilty verdict could prove to be the coup de grace for his UFC tenure.
Jon Jones' troubled personal life is what has seen him rack up most of his column inches of late, and although this drama undoubtedly added to his drawing power because of this weird voyeur-like fascination society has with catastrophe, this was merely a sideshow to the main attraction - his exceptional abilities as a fighter.
You can point the finger of blame and say that he got what was coming to him, but the truth is the light heavyweight division doesn't shine as bright without its biggest star. It's not just Jones who would be a victim of his wrong-doings, but the fans would lose out too. We could be deprived of some world-class wars and some more wonderful moments of ingenuity, all because of a series of stupid decisions.
Seeing a true great who had it all, lost it all and failed to seize every opportunity to claim it all back would be a real tragedy.

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