Aljamain Sterling recalls Jon Jones “going nuts” at the bar a week before early fights

Aljamain Sterling has taken a trip down memory lane to when he spent a lot of time with, at the time, rising UFC contender Jon Jones.

As we know, Jon Jones is a pretty divisive figure. He’s also one of the greatest fighters of all time. Some fans can’t stand him, whereas others are convinced that he is the undisputed GOAT. Later this year, he’ll put his UFC heavyweight title on the line when he defends against former champion Stipe Miocic.

RELATED: Aljamain Sterling discusses his relationship with UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones: “We aren’t as cool as we once were”

One of the reasons why Jones has been discussed so much over the years is his antics outside of the cage. From constant partying to run-ins with the law, he’s had his fair share of problems.

As it turns out, Aljamain Sterling was actually there in person to see him party it up prior to some of his early UFC fights.

Sterling looks back at Jones memories

“Suspect No. 1, and I got to see this first hand, was Jon Jones,” Sterling told Demetrious Johnson. “When we were in college together, and he was in the UFC, and I was still at school at Courtland… some way, some how, I messaged him on MySpace, and he’s training right down the f*cking block from my college.

“I hit him up like, ‘Yo, I see you doing the grappling stuff and the fighting, and I always thought it was cool. I think I could be good at this. Can I check it out? How do I check it out?’ He was like, ‘I’m training here,’ I was like, ‘Bro, I go to school right here.’ He was like, ‘Come down,’ so I came down and he was like… ‘Man, you’re not going to show up.’ I was like, alright, bet. I showed up the next day, and I haven’t stopped training since then.

“But I would see this man, a week before his fight, him at the bar… going nuts. In my head, I was like, no sex, no drinking, no smoking, and I just thought the way of [Mike] Tyson and [Muhammad] Ali and those guys. That’s what they said, don’t do it if you want to be a champion. I’m like, OK. And then I would see him and was like, I don’t get it — and then that weekend he would just murder a guy on International TV. I was like, ‘He’s doing something right.’”

Quotes via MMA Fighting

What’s your favorite Jon Jones memory? Let us know, BJPENN Nation!