NEW YORK – Jared Gordon never competed at Madison Square Garden until UFC 295, but he was quite acquainted with the venue.
Like many of his fellow New Yorkers, Gordon (20-6 MMA, 8-5 UFC) feels an attachment to the place the Knicks and Rangers play, one of the most prolific sporting arenas in the world.
The ties are stronger than that, however. Gordon is a former heroin addict. He used to shoot up in Penn Station, which is attached to Madison Square Garden.
“I used to shoot dope in that bathroom and the bathroom in Penn Station,” Gordon told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “When I see these places, it’s like nostalgic for me. Heroin is like a nostalgic thing for me. It might sound weird, but I can really remember and feel it. It’s awesome to be like, now instead of getting high here, I’m fighting in the UFC here. It’s pretty cool.”
After he knocked out Mark Madsen (12-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) on Saturday, Gordon couldn’t help but reflect on the symbolic full-circle journey – particularly because he wasn’t the first of his bloodline to win a professional fight at MSG.
“It’s crazy. My grandfather was a pro boxer,” Gordon said. “He grew up in Harlem. He was 38-3 as a pro. He was a really good boxer. It’s really funny because I walk in his footsteps. He got arrested in Detroit. I can actually pull the article up on Google. It was the largest heroin bust in Detroit history. He did eight years in Michigan. I have pictures of him in prison boxing. He boxed the whole eight years he was there. He died an alcoholic. He came out of prison and he came back to being a criminal. He ended up dying an alcoholic.”
Gordon has been sober for eight years. The pivot toward a straightedged lifestyle came after his third overdose in 2015. Having the historic combat sports lineage is cool, but he’s perhaps even happier about the differences between him and his grandfather.
“My mom always says to me, it was her father, that I turned it around,” Gordon said. “He ended his life as an addict alcoholic and I’ve gotten sober. I don’t know. I’m kind of breaking a family curse. It’s pretty crazy.”
For those still struggling, Gordon continues his attempts to be an example that even in the depths of addiction, a road to success is possible and plausible.
“There’s always a way out, no matter how far down the hall you are,” Gordon said, of advice he’d give addicts. “You can turn it around. You just need to have faith in a higher power and take some suggestions from people. If you’re sick, get some professional help. That’s how it goes.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.
