Manager: Jon Jones’ Next Fight Not Being Main Event Is Ridiculous
Jon Jones’ return fight has yet to be confirmed, but he’ll be eligible to fight again July after his one year USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) suspension is up. There have even been rumors that Jones could return at UFC 214 on July 29, 2017 for a rematch with bitter rival and current 205-pound champion Daniel Cormier.
Either way, UFC President Dana White has remained adamant that Jones will not headline another card, which “Bones’” manager, Malki Kawa, thinks is ridiculous:
“It’s the funniest thing ever. Listen, to be honest with you, it’s funny and my personal opinion, I think it’s ridiculous because at the end of the day, I mean, yes he missed out on UFC 200, and I think the whole situation behind it was stupid and ridiculous,” Kawa said on a recent edition of The MMA Hour.
Jones was schedule to rematch Cormier at UFC 200 last July, but he was forced to withdraw from the highly anticipated fight just days prior after being notified by USADA of a potential anti-doping violation. Kawa, however, says that Jones had no intent for that situation to take place:
“Listen, I always look at everything people do with intent, so if somebody intends to do something, to harm someone, then that makes that person messed up. Jon didn’t intend to cancel UFC 200. Listen, we are all sitting here everyday training, cutting weight,” he added. “We find out Wednesday or Thursday before the fight and no one wanted that to happen.”
Jones has indeed gave the UFC some headaches in the past and Kawa says that he understands why White can’t trust “Bones”, but he was also sure to point out that Cormier has had some setbacks of his own:
“Remember, Cormier got hurt one time. Jon got hurt once, he had a situation with his knee and it got postponed, it happened. Then he fought, It was time for the rematch and then Cormier got hurt and it got postponed. Then after that, Jon had the whole UFC 200 thing,” explained Kawa.
“So, at the end of the day, when he (Dana White) says ‘I can’t trust him,’ look, I understand what you’re saying from your end because you’re upset, pissed off and I get it, but it is what it is. But from our end, if you think you’re going to sell better by saying Jon Jones is a co-main event or it protects you better, then you got to do what you got to do. It doesn’t affect us one way or another financially, he is still going to get pay-per-view points, his money and none of that matters.”
Do you expect Jones to return in peak form against Cormier?
