UFC 295 ace Jared Gordon was once homeless and pronounced legally dead after he overdosed on heroin.
Gordon, 35, takes on Dane Mark Madsen on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York, but his life looked unrecognisable ten years ago. The American had a troubled childhood, seeing him experiment and eventually become addicted to drugs.
He was first introduced to drugs at a young age, where he first smoked marijuana at just nine and tried cocaine when he was 13. Upon entering UFC at 19, Gordon got addicted to pain medication after suffering a neck injury – soon seeing his drug use spiral out of control and becoming addicted to heroin at 23.
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Gordon found himself homeless during his early-mid twenties and turned to crime to fuel his drug habit. He was facing a 25 years to life sentence after being charged with robbery home invasion and a felony battery, but the charges were later dropped.
When he secured bond after being held in a maximum security holding cell, Gordon overdosed on heroin. He woke up the next day in hospital where he was told he was pronounced dead for two minutes.
Gordon previously told MMA Fighting: "I remember putting it in the needle and shooting it, and halfway through my shot, I knew something was wrong. I said f*** it, I don't care. I just shoved the rest in my arm and I went to sleep.”
‘Flash’ has since turned his life around and has a record of 19-6 with one no-contest against Bobby Green in his last time in the Octagon in April after an accidental clash of heads caused Gordon to be knocked unconscious. Ahead of his UFC 282 match-up against Paddy Pimblett, which Pimblett won by unanimous decision, the Liverpudlian praised his opponent for overcoming his troubled past.
Gordon stated that he uses his platform to help recovering addicts, something that means more to him than anything else: "I used to think fighting was about getting rich and famous, none of that gives me any joy though," he said.
"I bought my first house and have a nice car, none of that gives me lasting fulfilment. When people tell me 'wow, you saved my life' that is priceless and gives me more fulfilment than any money could."
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