Why Was Jon Jones Stripped Of His UFC Title? Who’s Replacing Him At UFC 187?

News broke late Tuesday night that UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon “Bones” Jones would be stripped of his title and suspended indefinitely. This, of course, stems from his arrest for a hit and run accident that sent a woman to the hospital on Sunday. Jones was scheduled to appear in front of an Albuquerque judge on Tuesday.

According to the Albuquerque Journal, Judge Maria I. Dominguez ordered Jon to refrain from drinking alcohol and taking illegal drugs, and said that he needed to remain in contact with his lawyers. However, she did lift travel restrictions, meaning that Jones could still go to Las Vegas for his UFC 187 title defense against Anthony “Rumble” Johnson.

Judge Dominguez also informed the District Attorney that he had until June 28 to decide whether or not to bring the charges in front of a grand jury for indictment.

Hours later, the UFC issued a statement regarding their suspension of Jones:

UFC announced that it has suspended Jon Jones indefinitely and stripped him of the light heavyweight title as a result of violations of the organization’s Athlete Code of Conduct Policy.

As a result of the charge and other violations of the Athlete Code of Conduct Policy, the organization believes it is best to allow Jones time to focus on his pending legal matters.

UFC feels strongly that its athletes must uphold certain standards both in and out of the Octagon. While there is disappointment in the recent charges, the organization remains supportive of Jones as he works through the legal process.

In addition to the announcement that Jones would be stripped and suspended, the future of the UFC 187 card was also discussed. Daniel Cormier, the last man Jones fought at UFC 182 in January, would be stepping in to face Johnson for the vacant title. As Cormier himself said, “It’s the actual title. There’s no interim tag being applied to it.”

It was also just announced on Wednesday morning that Reebok has dropped Jon Jones from their sponsorship. He had previously lost a deal with Nike several months ago.