Jon Jones praises Christ, Trump after UFC win

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s heavyweight division title holder on Sunday gave credit to Jesus Christ following his victory over opponent Stipe Miocic. The remark received cheers from the thousands of people in the audience. Jones also told those present and watching remotely that Jesus loved them.

Immediately following the remark, Jones thanked President-elect Donald Trump for attending the fight on Saturday. He imitated the president-elect’s usual dance moves to cheers from the crowd before leading those present in chants of, “U-S-A! U-S-A!” Jones told the crowd that he was proud to be a Christian, American champion.

Does Jones' personal life reflect faith in Christ? The Christian Post in 2011 said that a then-much younger Jones was fighting for Christ in the cage. But since then, several escapades in Jones’ personal life have landed him on the wrong side of the law. About a month after The Christian Post published its report, police arrested Jones in the parking lot of a strip club in Albuquerque, N.M., for driving on a suspended license, according to an ESPN timeline cataloging Jone’s run-ins with the law. Those charges were later dropped, ESPN reported.

Less than a year later, Jones wrapped his car around a telephone pole in New York, ESPN reported. Officers arrested him moments later for refusing to take a sobriety test at the scene. Jones later pleaded guilty to driving under the influence, according to ESPN. A few years later, Jones tested positive for cocaine, then later was involved in a hit-and-run crash that left a pregnant woman injured, prompting the UFC to drop Jones from its roster of active fighters. During his probation period for that offense, authorities jailed Jones on five charges related to drag racing, according to ESPN.

Roughly a decade after The Christian Post’s report, police arrested Jones for domestic violence-related offenses, ESPN reported. Shortly thereafter, Jones pledged to avoid alcohol for the rest of his life. But earlier this year, a sports drug tester filed a police report in Albuquerque alleging that Jones assaulted and threatened to kill her after she showed up to his home for a surprise drug test. Jones ultimately ended up pleading guilty to a misdemeanor offense related to the incident.

Dig deeper: Read Brad Littlejohn’s column in WORLD Opinions about how Christians need to return to virtue.