The sporting world is mourning the loss of life of Arthur Jones, the previous Tremendous Bowl-winning defensive sort out for the Baltimore Ravens. Jones, 39, was the oldest of three brother who got here from a household of elite athletes, together with legendary UFC champion Jon Jones. The truth is, Arthur almost adopted his youthful brother into blended martial arts.
Arthur contemplated combating MMA throughout the 2011 NFL Lockout. In March 2011, the NFL and the gamers’ union did not agree on a brand new collective bargaining settlement. House owners imposed a lockout, shutting down staff services and exercises and stopped paying gamers’ contracts. With Arthur unable to coach or exercise along with his Baltimore Ravens teammates throughout the lockout, which lasted till July 25, he severely thought of taking an MMA battle.
“I like MMA,” Arthur informed the Indianapolis Star in 2014. “It is enjoyable to look at, and it is one thing I entertained early in my soccer profession, if soccer did not work out, of me combating within the UFC. However issues are going effectively for me proper now, so I’ll keep on with my profession.
“I was purported to take a battle once we had the lockout a couple of years in the past. I was on the point of schedule it, and I used to be coaching for it. Thank God for the opposite man, the lockout ended.”
Arthur has some martial arts expertise. He was a two-time New York state wrestling heavyweight champion, and skilled in different disciplines with Jon at Jackson-Winkeljohn MMA in Albuquerque, New Mexico, throughout the offseason.
“I used to be a extremely good wrestler, in order that was my base, however I do loads of boxing in a my low season coaching,” Arthur mentioned. “I practice at Greg Jackson’s just about each offseason.
“I like it. It retains my thoughts contemporary. It simply retains me hungry when it is soccer season as a result of I am coaching components and muscle groups and totally different issues, and it retains me energetic in numerous methods so I do not get bored doing the identical factor with soccer.”
Jon, thought of by many to be the best MMA fighter of all time and indisputably one of the best mild heavyweight champion in UFC historical past, credited his combating mentality to rising up as Arthur’s youthful brother.
“Not solely was Arthur older and larger, however he was a freak athlete,” Jon informed Bleacher Report in 2017. “So, yeah, I just about grew up getting my ass kicked by a actually particular expertise. I feel it is why I turned out to be so powerful.
“Generally we might simply slap one another, and a battle would escape. That is what brothers do. That is what makes us all nice rivals: We by no means again down from something.”
Arthur and Jon had been each highschool wrestling standouts, however Arthur acknowledged that his youthful brother was the extra gifted wrestler.
“I need to confess right here: I had the a lot simpler route wrestling at 275,” Arthur mentioned. “Jon had all of the studs in his weight class, wrestling 195. These are males sizes — the typical man as a senior or junior in excessive faculty. His competitors was lots stiffer than mine. I had higher competitors as soon as I bought to the state stage, however Jon at all times had powerful competitors. However he was a man who by no means stop.”
Emergency Medical Providers responded to Jones’ house in Syracuse, New York, shortly earlier than 11 a.m. on Friday, in response to Information Channel 9’s Steve Infanti. An Onondaga County Sheriff’s spokesperson informed the outlet that Jones’ pacemaker went off within the morning, robotically alerting his physician. Jones had a pre-existing coronary heart situation.
Jon and Chandler Jones, the youngest of the three Jones brothers, haven’t publicly addressed his passing.
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