UFC featherweight Jared Gordon celebrated five years of sobriety by sharing a motivational message with his followers on his social media.<\/p>\n
Gordon has been very open about his past drug addiction. In his late teens, Gordon began using prescription pain medication, and soon after in his early 20s, Gordon became addicted to heroin. He has admitted that he was homeless and panhandled in order to get money for drugs<\/a>. The incredible thing was he was coming up as an excellent MMA prospect at the same time. From 2011 to 2015, Gordon won the first nine fights of his MMA career before suffering his first career loss to Jeff Lentz.<\/p>\n In the Lentz fight, Gordon suffered an eye injury that led him to once again being hooked on pain meds. Not long after suffering the first loss of his professional MMA career, Gordon suffered his third overdose, and that was what made him decided to finally get clean from drugs. He entered rehab after and has been sober for five years since. After winning three more fights after getting clean, the UFC signed him.<\/p>\n This weekend, Gordon celebrated five years of being clean. Check out the inspiring message that “Flash” shared with his followers on his social media<\/a>.<\/p>\n They say at five years of sobriety you get your marbles back. That with in your first five years you\u2019re still a \u201cnew comer\u201d or \u201cbeginner.\u201d God willing ill be sober for the rest of my life and can live a lifetime of service and gratitude. pic.twitter.com\/D9y5ky3KtK<\/a><\/p>\n — Jared Gordon (@JFlashGordonMMA) December 27, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n