Iole, Florian: Jones should be stripped of title
Kenny Florian: “I think stripping him of the title is appropriate if, of course, these allegations are true … I don’t think he should be allowed to fight Anthony Johnson.”
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has been arrested for fleeing the scene of an accident in which a pregnant woman broke her arm. He faces felony charges, with a possible jail term of three years.
Retired fighter and UFC commentator Kenny Florian appeared recently on FOX Sports 1’s America’s Pregame, and was asked if Jones should be stripped of his title.
I think stripping him of the title is appropriate if, of course, these allegations are true, said Florian, as transcribed by Steven Marrocco for MMAjunkie.
I don’t think he should be allowed to fight Anthony Johnson. He needs to go and get help. I think that the UFC is probably most likely to find a replacement for Jon Jones at this point, and I think that’s probably what’s going to happen if these allegations are true.
If this is true, there’s some kind of problem going on. He needs help, and it needs to be legitimate help; he’s not getting away for 24 hours.
He has so much talent, but there’s a lot of immaturity with that talent.”
"He needs help. Stripping him of the title is appropriate." — @kennyflorian on Jon Jones
(via @AmericasPregame)https://t.co/ZYxNssXRQv
— FS1 (@FS1) April 27, 2015
Kevin Iole expressed even more extreme sentiments, calling for Jones’ belt to be stripped now, immediately, long before the legal system runs its course.
Jones, of course, is presumed innocent and must be proven guilty in a court of law.
But the UFC owes him no such due process, and should immediately strip him of its championship and pull him from his May 23 fight against Anthony Johnson in the main event of UFC 187 in what was shaping up as one of the best cards in recent memory.
It is a privilege, not a right, to hold the belt and Jones long ago violated that privilege.
He’s had a series of run-ins and incidents and has gotten off incredibly light. He has never been forced to miss a fight and has only received minor fines for his various infractions.
Now, a pregnant woman suffered a fractured wrist and forearm, which upgraded the charge from misdemeanor to felony.
The (UFC have) made excuses for his prickly personality and often difficult ways in the past. They unbelievably defended the fact that he went into drug rehabilitation for one day after the positive cocaine test, as if he were somehow magically cured.
They’ve turned their heads and pretended they haven’t seen his many social media blunders or his difficult, at best, interactions with mixed martial arts media.
The legal situation will play out, and the UFC is reserving comment until it knows more.
But the following words SHOULD be coming out of the Zuffa headquarters, and pronto:
“We have stripped Jon Jones of our light heavyweight title and pulled him from his fight on May 23 at UFC 187 with Anthony Johnson.”
Anything less would be a farce, and completely unacceptable.
The question today of title consequences for out of competition legal infractions takes place against a background of Floyd Mayweather Jr poised to take the largest cash prize in sports history. FMJ has a repulsive history of domestic violence, involving allegations of at least seven assaults, on five women, over a dozen years; he served time for it.
Mixed martial arts does not be look towards boxing for ethical guidance; the consequences for Jones are likely to be significant. Still, a reasonable person might ask why Iole is calling for Jones to lose his title, while he will be sitting ringside watching Mayweather fight Manny Pacquiao.