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ROUNDTABLE: What should the UFC do about Jon Jones and the UFC 187 main event after Jones' hit and run?
Apr 28, 2015 - 7:25:06 PM ROUNDTABLE: What should the UFC do about Jon Jones and the UFC 187 main event after Jones' hit and run?

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Given the facts that have come out regarding Jon Jones leaving the scene of an accident, and given the charges he's now facing, what should the UFC do about his fight at UFC 187? Should Jones be stripped of the title? Should he fight on as planned? Why? If he's pulled from the fight, who should Anthony Johnson fight, if anyone?


RICH HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

I'll be 100% honest here; I don't give a rat's ass what they do with Jon Jones in lieu if his Rampage-esque Rampage through the streets of Albuquerque. Not to mention his alleged Ferris Bueller-esque running and leaping through the back yards of Albuquerque. Maybe the UFC will slap his wrist similarly to what they did about his little cocaine thing. Maybe they'll outright fire him. Maybe they won't have to do anything if these charges disappear. Maybe Jones and the state will take the choice out of Zuffa's hands by settling the criminal case. Maybe it will turn out that the Jon Jones who was involved in the crash wasn't the brother of Chandler and Arthur Jones but rather THIS Jon Jones. As it affects ME, which candidly is all I care about, as of today Chris Weidman is going to fight on a loaded UFC pay-per-view card, so I'll be watching live.

Now, despite the precedent of the UFC allowing Jon Jones (and scores of other fighters money-making drones) to run roughshod over the standards of civilized society, let's assume that Jones is out of the UFC 187 title fight against Anthony Johnson. Assuming that, there are three scenarios in play here:

1.) The UFC strips Jones of the title. Most people are calling for Johnson to then fight Daniel Cormier. Despite DC coming off of a loss, it's possible that this generation's Chael Sonnen has enough credibility of a mouth to get a title shot coming off of a loss. Personally, I'd rematch Rumble with Alexander Gustafsson, leave Cormier vs. Ryan Bader untouched, and have the winners of those two fights main event UFC 191 on September 5. You know why? Because that's the pay-per-view immediately before my birthday, and it would please me to have a big fight card at that time. Do I care that this would be unfair to Anthony Johnson having to beat Gustafsson twice, or to Glover Teixeira losing the shot at Gustafsson? Nope. Not even a whit. I'm totally cool with that. All about me, remember?

2.) Jones is out of UFC 187 but is not stripped of his title. Then either Bones and Rumble main event at UFC 191 with Rumble being pulled from UFC 187, or Rumble gets to fight a paper-tiger at UFC 187 to keep him on the carf. Someone with a name; someone who can sell pay-per-views (and probably behind the Weidman fight, so no Main Event pressure): someone that can be sold as a legit challenger but really isn't a legit challenger. If Rampage Jackson is clear of Bellator, he's my huckleberry.

3.) Jones stays on the UFC 187 pay-per-view, and we all feel like a bunch of f***ing rubes for believing that anyone at Zuffa is worried about the well-being of anyone or anything that doesn't make them shit tons of money.

Wanna guess which one I think will happen?


FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

I think that, as of now, Jones should still fight. If the victim had died, of course they would pull him from the card, but as it stands, we're dealing with a minor injury of a broken arm. Was he wrong to flee the scene? Absolutely, there's no doubt. I'm sure he panicked and freaked out after the accident. That doesn't excuse what he did, though, which was wrong.

Jones should fight at UFC 187. To strip him or cut him would be an overreach. It would be an overreaction. The UFC needs to wait to get all the information they can before making their decision on what to do. To cut him or strip him now would be a big overreaction. Let's get all the information in and then make a decision. Sometimes things aren't as they appear to be. The fact that the victim's injury was fairly minor allows for the UFC to let this play out.


ALVIN CARTER, MMATORCH SPECIALIST

The UFC has to see what's going to happen with Jones. The reality is the fight means ratings since this could be his last fight for awhile depending on how everything pans out legally.

He was found with drugs and drug paraphernalia. This substance is banned in the UFC based and continued use would most likely cause Jones' May 23 meeting with Anthony Rumble Johnson to be a no contest no matter the result. The UFC might want to avoid that and make an interim title matchup between Johnson and Cormier. Ryan Bader would have to wait, sadly. Rampage Jackson would make a good fight, but he just fought and a "Donald Cerrone" type of turnaround is not likely.

The major issue is what happens if Jones fights, wins, and then is convicted of a felony and is in violation of the rules of conduct, and more importantly incarcerated? The UFC is getting unwanted notoriety because Jones is in trouble. The headlines of Jones headed to jail will be fodder for those who do not like the UFC or the sport of MMA. Being the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world is probably a tough job, but losing it all is probably tougher. Hopefully, the victim of the hit and run will be fine and properly represented. If this means Jones misses the fight... it might be another blessing in disguise. One less drug test situation if he was using the band substances found in his car. If he is convicted of a felony and gets time, it might mean Jones has time to receive help with his personal issues.

As a person caring about other people I want to see Jones stay out of trouble and continue to be great in the cage at whatever pace is needed. As a fan, I also want to see him face a real and ready opponent in Anthony Johnson who could end the Champ's reign or allow him to solidify his legacy after the bumps he has had outside the cage.


KALE HAVERVOLD, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

I think the UFC needs to be tough on this. If they aren't, it sets a very dangerous precedent in the sport. He needs to be taken off the card, suspended and stripped of the title. If the UFC just fines him or gives him a slap on the wrist, it will be a ton of negative PR for the UFC and MMA as a whole.

I would personally like to see Ryan Bader go up against Anthony Johnson.


BRAD WALKER, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Well there is a bevy of questions yet to be answered in this entire case in criminal court, much less in the court of public opinion. The situation is truly awful; any car accident caused by a stupid mistake is bad, but to physically leave the car and flee on foot is even worse, and the fact that the initial collision was with a pregnant woman whose arm is broken is even worse than that.

If you scale back the timeline to the cocaine calamity around the time of the Cormier fight, everything he said and did at that time is now nullified and rendered insincere because of this. Jones went from possibly the greatest and fastest rising star in mixed martial arts to felon in one swift motion. If he was sorry for the cocaine use why was there marijuana and a pipe in his car? Why did he go back for a handful of cash instead of doing the smart and humane thing and checking on the other drivers involved?

It is clear at this point that fame and money have gone to Jones' head, and he believes himself to be better than the average civilian. That whole mindset as it stands makes me sick. He should be stripped of the belt, forced into a REAL rehab program - not some overnight evaluation - and suspended, fined, jailed and put into psychological counseling after all of that because he clearly does not have his head on straight.

I don't know if there are underlying issues here with the constant drinking and drug related car accidents but it is really enough, he could have killed someone and ended a young life before it really started. His carelessness can no longer be overlooked just because he's the hottest commodity in the sport right now. It's time to make an example of Jones, pull him from the fight, stick in the next best ready guy and let them fight for the belt. Jones needs to step away from the sport and get his life straight before he does something irreversible that there's no coming back from.


CASH NORMAN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

The UFC doesn't really have to do anything regarding UFC 187; I believe within the next day or so the court system in Alburquerque, New Mexico will do that.

If the UFC is truly interested in due process they should wait until Jon Jones goes through the court system before they take any action or wait until further information becomes available. Fans that hate Jon Jones have already jumped on the bandwagon of stripping him of the title. However, as a promotion the UFC should be more discerning. My opinion may be a little skewed because of living in Las Vegas, but I think the fight should continue. If Floyd Mayweather can be scheduled to have one of the biggest fights in history after spending time in jail for domestic battery and for allegedly having two employees badly beaten for stealing, then why should the Jon Jones bout be stopped? Do I agree with any of Jon Jones actions? No. I think Jones acted recklessly, cowardly, and narcissistically. However, business is business, and the show must go on.

If Jones is replaced, I would like to see Daniel Cormier fight Anthony Johnson. I selfishly want to see this fight so that I can possibly witness DC get knocked out.


DAYNE FOX, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Seeing as how there has been no denial on the part of Jones or his lawyer that he was involved in this in any way, it is safe to assume that yes, he was involved. While there is still the rest of the legal process to play out, and Jones is innocent until proven guilty, the UFC doesn't have to play by those rules, and shouldn't play by those rules. So I'm in favor of Jones being stripped of the title and plan on him not fighting at UFC 187... or for a long while for that matter.

I might feel different if this was an isolated incident, but seeing as how he has clearly learned nothing from his previous gaffes (DUI in 2012, positive for cocaine during his last training camp, instigating a brawl with Cormier, and to a lesser extent, countless social media missteps), something NEEDS to be done to serve as a wake-up call. This is a young man who believes he is untouchable, as he has blundered and faced the most minor of consequences for those mistakes. Maybe this incident is enough to wake him up due to the fact he has harmed someone innocent, but you can't count on that based on his continued actions. The UFC recently implemented its code of conduct, and what better way to prove to everyone (the roster and the media) that they intend to take it serious than to implement severe discipline on one of their biggest stars?

The biggest reason to strip Jones though is he clearly has his priorities out of whack, and all of these major incidents have occurred since he became UFC Champion. Relieving Jones of that responsibility should (I hope) allow him to refocus his priorities so that he can straighten out his life. As much as I enjoy watching him fight, the humane side of me screams that he can't be doing that at this time if he wants to become a role model, not just to fans, but to his own children. It can't be good for them to see their dad show so little regard for another human's life, as he returned to the scene not to check on the injured person, but to grab a handful of cash from the car he wrecked. That exhibits pure selfishness.

As for what to do with the title, Daniel Cormier is scheduled to fight two weeks after UFC 187 against Ryan Bader. If Cormier is able to accelerate his camp by two weeks, I think it would be great to see him step up to the plate against Rumble with the title on the line. Knowing that Cormier has had weight cutting difficulties in the past, it may not be possible, and the UFC may have to remove Johnson from the card altogether. Otherwise, I can't think of a reasonable option... unless the UFC wants to pull whomever they can off the streets to fight Johnson ala Chris Camozzi. I suppose Bader could be an option as well, seeing as how he is on a four fight winning streak, but there is no doubt the UFC would rather see Cormier in that spot despite him coming off of a loss.

Hopefully Jones can rehabilitate his image, and more importantly himself, with the proper time off. Once he does that, I would love to see him come back. And we all know the public loves a comeback story.

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