Uproxx is the place to be if you want to keep up to date on all the factual developments in the latest Jon Jones MMA scandal. If you’re new to the story, check out our ‘Everything You Need To Know About The Jon Jones Hit-And-Run Situation’ post. Those of you up to speed and wondering what the chances are that Jones will still fight Anthony Johnson at UFC 187 on May 23rd, take a listen to his lawyer talking to KOB4 News:
“Obviously, Jon is involved in a legal case and anyone involved in a legal case understands the implications of that. Though clearly Jon would prefer to be focusing on his job which is just training for this big fight. But I can tell you that Jon is going to do the right thing and we’re going to go through this process and he’s going to let me do the job that I’m supposed to do.”
“I’m obviously not going to get into any conversations I’ve had with my client, we’re going to have our day in court about that. But what I think is telling is that there are not any allegations in regard to alcohol or drug use.”
And from another news interview:
“He wants to get down to training for this big fight that he has. I know obviously that he wouldn’t want to be dealing with this right now, but Jon is a great guy, I know he’s taking all of this very seriously.”
Dealing with the court case seems important to Jones, but only in the context of minimizing the effect it has on his training camp leading up to UFC 187. So, it certainly sounds like Jon wants the fight to go on, which greatly increases the chances it won’t be cancelled.
To understand why, take a look back at Jones’ last whoopsie, when he tested positive for cocaine leading up to his fight against Daniel Cormier. When UFC president Dana White was asked if he had considered canceling the match, he replied “Jon Jones was contracted to fight, and everyone thinks we can just say, ‘the fight’s off, the fight’s not happening.’ He had the right to fight.”
That right comes from the bout contract signed by the UFC and Jon Jones, and if the UFC wants to cancel the fight they better have something ironclad in the contract that allows them to do so. Until Jones is actually found guilty of the crimes New Mexico has accused him of, he may not have technically violated his contract.
And with millions of dollars in the balance for both Jones and the UFC, neither party probably wants the fight to be called off. Jones aggressively demanding he be allowed to fight may actually get the UFC off the hook yet again in regards to (not) sanctioning its top fighter. Which is a good thing for fans of MMA who just want to see this fight go down. For the soul of the sport? Not so much.
Also included in the KOB4 report: a picture of the smashed car Jones was driving. The damage is pretty extensive, and confirms that this was more than just a small fender bender.
[KOB4]
