In wake of Chael Sonnen’s failed drug test and then his retirement, many people have been criticizing Sonnen. However light heavyweight champion Jon Jones in fact praised Sonnen for his openness in the situation during an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour.

“I watched him on ‘UFC Tonight’ and I thought he handled it very responsibly. I really admire him being vulnerable and telling the world about his situation with his wife and things like that. I’ve been very vocal about not respecting steroid users and guys who cheat. But, Chael almost gained an exception with the way he handled it and the way he was just so honest and upfront with the fans and other fighters about the whole situation. So, it’s never good for the sport to see something like this, but in a way it was a win for Chael because he got to let some things off his heart, off his chest and just be real with everybody. Man, I’m sure he has a sense of freedom because of it. I’m happy for him.”