Anderson Silva: Jon Jones Shouldn't Return, He 'Needs to Focus'

Carlos Condit recently told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour (h/t Dave Doyle of MMAFighting.com) that former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones had resumed training. “I'll be back.” Condit said those were Jones' exact words during a friendly conversation at Greg Jackson's MMA.

Anderson Silva, who has long served as a mentor to Jones, isn't a fan of the idea of the 27-year-old star being thrust back into the spotlight so soon. When speaking with TMZ Sports, he admitted he would rather see Jones step away for a bit and change things in his life.

“I don't think so man. Jones is a good boy—he's a good man. He needs to focus,” Silva said. “… I love Jones, but he needs to change everything in life.”

Jones is facing a felony charge after an alleged hit-and-run incident in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in late April. MMAFighting's Marc Raimondi reported an off-duty police officer saw Jones crash into two other vehicles after running a red light.

One of the vehicles was occupied by a 20-year-old pregnant woman. According to Raimondi's article, witnesses in the area reported seeing Jones grab a handful of cash from his vehicle before leaving the accident. Marijuana was found inside the car.

Jones turned himself into law enforcement the next day before posting bail a few hours later with $2,500. The Bernalillo County District Attorney has yet to decide whether to bring the trial to a grand jury.

Jones was slated to defend his UFC light heavyweight title against Anthony “Rumble” Johnson on Saturday, but after speaking with UFC President Dana White and UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta, he was stripped of his title and indefinitely suspended from the UFC. He also was removed from the official UFC rankings.  

Meanwhile, Silva is facing a possible suspension of his own, after testing positive for anabolic steroids in February.

Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He also is the MMA writer for FanRag Sports and co-founder of The MMA Bros.