Dana White: Jones-Henderson still on at UFC 151, no need for code of conduct for fighters

UFC president Dana White confirmed with MMAWeekly.com that Jon Jones‘ Light-Heavyweight Title fight against Challenger Dan Henderson on September 1, 2012, at UFC 151 is still a “Go”.

Jones was arrested last weekend for suspicion of DWI after the 24 year-old UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion crashed his Bentley into a telephone pole in Binghamton, New York. Jones had striven to maintain a “clean cut role model image” and while neither Jones, nor anyone else was hurt in the accident, that image has tarnished somewhat.

When asked about Jones arrest affecting UFC 151, White said: “It won’t affect the date, but how it will affect him in the fight, I have no idea, we’ll see. I’m not involved with all the legal stuff, but I like Jon Jones. He’s a good guy. He’s young. He made a mistake. He’s incredibly talented, but he’s going to need some guidance.”

Jones’s incident, along with others, does not lead White to believe that the UFC should institute a blanket code of conduct policy similar to the athletes in other sports leagues. White was quick to say: “This is not the NFL or the NBA, this is a completely different business model. We’re dealing with human beings, you take it case by case and you deal with it.”

White believes that each case should be handled on its own merits. Whether it is a case of DUI, performance-enhancing drugs, a fighter using marijuana, or even an Octagon girl being arrested for suspicion of domestic violence; White is correct, these are isolated incidents and do not tarnish the image of the sport overall. More importantly it serves as a reminder that fighters are human, like the rest of us and prone to making occassional mistakes.

However, when the UFC first partnered with Fox Sports, the network called for a cessation of all advertisements pertaining to firearms, knives, hunting or shooting. Can the network call for a blanket “Code of Conduct” to be put into place next? Does the UFC need a codified structure of fines, suspensions and termination to be laid out for its fighters and other personnel?

Further reading: Jon Jones charged with DUI