Jared Gordon: Built from the concrete jungle, now ready to showcase in backyard at Madison Square Garden
The story of Jared Gordon outside of fighting is well documented, best told by Gordon himself, and is a long tale of overcoming addiction, adversity, and taking the road less traveled out of New York City and into the UFC. Discovered on Dana White’s ‘Lookin For a Fight’ in 2017, Gordon has gone on to have 13 fights in the UFC, with a winning record but his last few fights have left a cloud of uncertainty, but as he has in life, Gordon has weathered the storm and has a dream-come-true opportunity to fight inside Madison Square Garden at UFC 295 this weekend.
In his last two fights, Jared Gordon has been involved in a no-contest against Bobby Green due to an accidental head clash in April, and his most infamous moment, last December he was on the wrong end of an unanimous decision loss to Paddy Pimblett.
All due respect to his previous opponents, Gordon had the biggest opportunity against Pimblett who is one of the most fastest rising popular stars in the UFC, and despite what his record indicates, the narrative changed for Gordon. From being boo’d and overlooked going into the fight against Pimblett to being cheered and having most of the fighting world believing “Flash” actually beat the popular star, Gordon was in a place to capitalize but the timing wasn’t right.
The timing may prove to be just right heading into UFC 295, as Gordon is looking to get back into the win column in his own backyard of New York City, on the biggest stage of them all in combat sports, Madison Square Garden. On Friday, Gordon spoke with TNT Sports and discussed his road to UFC 295 and detailed how in the past he would shoot up heroin in Penn Station, which is just below MSG, and now he’s on the upper level fighting for the UFC in front of family and friends who once had no choice but to turn away from during his times of struggle.
With a controversial decision behind him and a no-contest in his most recent fight, Jared Gordon will look to get back to his winning ways inside the Octagon, which is really just a small part of who he is and what he does. Fighting for a bigger purpose and using his platform to spread a more important and serious message of overcoming addiction and adversity, Gordon’s career results on paper will really be just that when his career is done, but he’s pushing to not only get back to the win column, but find himself fighting among the Top 15 going into 2024.
His opponent Mark O. Madsen is 12-1 and will present a tough challenge for Jared Gordon, but getting back into the win column should set the 35-year old fighter to get higher level of competition moving forward. Looking towards bigger challenges that could pit him against Top 15 opponents moving forward and ample opportunities to cement his legacy as a fighter.
Overcoming adversity in the cage is important for fighters like Gordon, but the adversity he’s overcome in life and the success he’s had outside the cage can’t be matched. Back home in New York City, Jared Gordon is fighting for a bigger purpose while not taking his place in the UFC for granted, is exactly what New York City is all about. The narrative of New York City is built for dreamers, hustlers, and those who can make the most for themselves and overcome adversity no matter what challenges are in front of them. That’s Jared Gordon, not just a UFC fighter, not just a recovering addict, but a true inspiration to anyone who wants to overcome challenges in life and succeed in both their career and personal life.
From shooting drugs in Penn Station to now in 2023, fighting above Penn Station at Madison Square Garden for the biggest mixed martial arts promotion in the world, Jared Gordon is already a winner in every sense of the word.
