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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
"Jon Jones won that belt inside the Octagon. Nobody beat him for the belt. That's just one case in itself. But on the other hand, we're jumping to a lot of conclusions. We haven't let things play out. He hasn't had his day in court and I don't think it's OK to just hand punishments down like that. But I do definitely understand where the UFC, sponsors and everyone is coming from. I can totally understand... I think we totally accepted the suspension. I thought they had to do it. I agreed when they handed it down. I just don't know that indefinite was the right thing to do, per se. And I definitely just don't agree with the belt being stripped, because if this gets resolved in the next 60 to 90 days, then what? Now you're saying, 'Well, now you're reinstated.' Then what? To me, I just felt like it shouldn't have been to that degree. But again, I'm coming from a more biased place than maybe everyone else is coming from... If you're Daniel Cormier and you win this belt, right, and you go parading around the world and you're this and you're that, do you think anyone on the face of this Earth can actually take you serious? It would be such a joke at that point... I was very surprised. I didn't think they were gonna do that. I don't think they should have done that."
-Jon Jones' manager Malki Kawa objects to his client getting stripped of the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship in an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour.
Penick's Analysis: I'm in pretty much complete agreement with Kawa here. I can understand why the UFC made a quick move to react to the Jones situation, but if he winds up back in action within six months to a year, then stripping him was a completely empty gesture. I've made my thoughts on Cormier as "Champion" fairly clear, and Kawa's voicing a similar take here. Some type of reaction was probably warranted from the UFC given Jones was very much in the wrong and is technically facing potential jail time. However, I don't expect him to wind up in jail, and if it gets cleared up fairly quickly, Jones could be right back, and he'll be in a title fight when that day comes.
[Jon Jones art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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