Paddy Pimblett's UFC 282 opponent Jared Gordon was once a heroin addict who was pronounced "legally dead" for two minutes.
Gordon, 34, had a troubled childhood and was introduced to drugs at a very young age, first smoking marijuana at the age of nine and trying cocaine when he was just 13. 'Flash' took up MMA after graduating from high school, but would sadly get addicted to painkillers such as Vicodin and Oxycotin after suffering a neck injury in his amateur debut.
The American tried his best to stay away from drug but relapsed on the same day as his first professional win in the cage after a month of sobriety. Gordon turned to crime to fuel his drug habit and was facing 25 years to life after being charged with robbery home invasion and a felony battery, but the charges were eventually dropped.
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When Gordon secured bond after being held in a maximum security holding cell, he overdosed on heroin and woke up the next day at a nearby hospital, soon finding out he was pronounced dead for two minutes. "I remember putting it in the needle and shooting it, and halfway through my shot, I knew something was wrong. I said fuck it, I don't care. I just shoved the rest in my arm and I went to sleep," he told MMA Fighting.
Since then, Gordon has been able to turn his life around and has become a veteran of 24 professional MMA fights, amassing a record of 19-5. The 34-year-old, who has been competing in the UFC for five years, helps run a programme called 'Recovery through Repetition' that provides a place for recovering addicts to workout and connect with each another.
Pimblett has praised his opponent for overcoming such a troubled past, stating: He's such an inspirational character becomes he come through all sorts, you couldn't even name all of the things that he's come through. Now he's back and he's fighting in the UFC, he is setting a good example for people in that walk of life and I can't talk my head off to him enough, I respect him so much as a human being."
Gordon has insisted that using his platform to help recovering addicts means more to him than anything else, stating on the UFC 282 countdown show: "I used to think fighting was about getting rich and famous, none of that gives me any joy though. 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."
