Jon Jones Will Receive Immediate Title Shot Upon Return To UFC
A long list of questions arose when the UFC decided to strip light heavyweight champion Jon Jones of the belt when they indefinitely suspended the talented but troubled fighter one day after he was arrested on felony hit-and-run charges surrounding his alleged involvement in an April 27 accident where he ran a red light to hit a 25-year-old pregnant woman in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Perhaps the most prevalent was the question of if Jones would actually return to fighting after his legal matters were resolved, as his manager Malki Kawa teased that he might not. But his Jackson-Winkeljohn teammate Carlos Condit said he had spoken to ‘Bones’ and that he would return, prompting speculation about what the former champ’s return to fighting would entail.
Today (Wed., May 20, 2015), however, UFC President Dana White made it clear what will happen to Jones upon his return, speaking up in The Jim Rome Show to clarify that the embattled former champ would get an immediate title shot:
“He comes right back and he fights for the title. He hasn’t had the time that Anderson Silva’s had, but he is the most dominant champion.
“If you look at the murderer’s row of the 205-pound division that he went through, and he just went through it like a hot knife through butter, I mean, he’s the man. So whenever he gets his stuff together, he’d come right back and fight for the title.”
White moved on to discuss Jones’ pending legal troubles, which will obviously when the possibility for a potential return would open up. Regardless of the UFC’s future plans for him, Jones is facing a maximum of three years in prison for charges of felony hit-and-run, meaning the UFC has to wait and see if a New Mexico grand jury decides to indict him:
“Obviously he’s been stripped of the title, he’s not fighting anymore, and he’s got these legal issues he’s got to deal with. Once he gets through those, he’s either going to end up with a felony or jail time, or a felony and jail time. So I don’t know how this thing is going to play out. We’ll see how it goes.
“Like I said, he’s got these legal issues and he’s got a civil suit against him. He’s got a civil suit against him and all this other stuff. (We’ll) see how he gets through this and then find out where his head is. How does he handle himself through this situation and after it? I mean, I gotta see from him that he’s doing the right thing.”
The promotion took a hardline stance with Jones for his latest indiscretion, and was rightfully commended for it. After so many brushes with the law involving drugs and alcohol, Jones was making everyone involved look bad, and White is right to require ‘Bones’ to prove to him that he’s finally sober and headed down the right path.
If he’s able to do that remains to be seen, but first, Jones will have his day in court to determine his legal future. Do you agree with the UFC’s decision to grant Jones an immediate title shot?
