In the end the only man that could beat Jon Jones was himself, and now the best pound for pound fighter in the world is no longer a UFC Champion. Former UFC Light Heavyweight titlist “Bones” Jones was stripped of his title today as a result of Monday’s arrest in Albuquerque, New Mexico on a felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident involving death or personal injury.
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This is the third incident involving Jon Jones getting into trouble with authorities following a May 2012 arrest for a misdemeanor DWI charge and an early December positive test for cocaine metabolites. The UFC had recently come under fan scrutiny for their “special” treatment of not disciplining Jones in the prior two incidents. This time, the UFC had no choice. Their personal code of conduct mandates discipline for misconduct and with the seriousness of the allegations involved meant a precedent had to be set. Jon Jones had defended the 205 pound title a record eight times and was two defenses away from tying another former disgraced champion, Anderson Silva’s record of 10 consecutive defenses. That record is now safe.
The fallout of this incident means that the new main event of UFC 187 for the Light Heavyweight Championship will be Anthony Johnson fighting the man that Jon Jones just beat, Daniel Cormier. It is likely that after that fight, Jones will be given the next opportunity to win his belt back and in that fight most fans will still view Jones as the rightful champion, even without the belt around his waist. In the interim, however, Jones will suffer. He will lose sponsorships, he will be fined, and the opportunity cost of not fighting for whatever length of time the UFC slaps a suspension on him will be significant. And in the court of public opinion Jon Jones is guilty of being a “bad” guy.
I believe Jon Jones should get the required help and come back when he is healthy again & gone thru the legal process.
— Kenny Florian (@kennyflorian) April 28, 2015
Having said that, America can be a forgiving place. When you possess as much talent and skill as Jon Jones does, you will be given a second chance…and a third chance…and a fourth chance. You will be given the opportunity to show remorse, rebuild your life, and teach others not to make the same mistakes as you. Follow these steps, and history has shown that your star can shine as bright as ever before. There is a list of many athletes across all sports sitting in the same shoes Jon Jones is sitting in right now that have turned it all around. For the sake of MMA fans everywhere, let’s hope Jon Jones will be the latest addition to that list.
