UFC
Dana White not sure how long Jon Jones will be out, but says he'll get a title fight upon his return
May 20, 2015 - 4:20:30 PM Dana White not sure how long Jon Jones will be out, but says he'll get a title fight upon his return

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Saturday's UFC 187 event will feature a fight between Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson for the vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship, but as has been discussed at length, the shadow of Jon Jones hangs over that fight.

UFC President Dana White on Wednesday discussed the Jones situation in an interview with Jim Rome. Though he's not sure when to expect Jones back, he says the now-former Champ will fight for that title upon his return.

"He comes right back and he fights for the title," White said (transcribed by MMAFighting.com). "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."

As for that "stuff," Jones is facing felony hit and run charges and a potential civil suit from the woman whose car he crashed into in Albuquerque. White thinks that's going to take up his time for the foreseeable future, and says he wants to see how Jones handles things before they bring him back.

"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," White said. "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."

Penick's Analysis: The only thing that remains a concern really is just how long Jones will be out. If a civil suit is brought against him, it's likely to ultimately get settled. What remains to be seen is whether or not Jones gets any jail time, or if he winds up with probation, community service, or some combination therein. None of that takes away his spot as the top fighter in the division, so if and when he returns, there's no point in having him in any other fight than a title fight.

[Jon Jones art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]