Jones, Cormier to attend NAC meeting, could face fines of up to $250k
Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier are required to attend a Nevada Athletic Commission meeting on September 23, where they face potential sanction for their Aug brawl.
UFC president Dana White has long explained that fighting is on our DNA, and cites that simple fact as the engine behind the extraordinary growth of the league. However, the fighting is supposed to take place in the cage, and in the gym, and no where else.
When UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and challenger Daniel Cormier brawled during a media event in early August, both the UFC and the state government regulators were not impressed.
This is certainly not a proud moment for the UFC organization, said UFC Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer Kirk Hendrick, via UFC.com. We expect more from our athletes, especially these two gentlemen, who are very well-trained and highly educated professionals. Their actions were clearly a violation of the UFC’s code of conduct.”
We are going to reserve our right to penalize both fighters after the commission has made a decision. We expect more from our athletes and we are prepared to levy sanctions to reinforce the appropriate behavior.”
There are going to be ramifications. Whether you’re the champion, or this is your first fight in the UFC, there are going to be ramifications from the UFC for these actions.
As Hendrick noted, the first step is for the Nevada Athletic Commission to act, and as Steven Marrocco reports for MMAJunkie, that is now underway.
The NAC has filed separate complaints against each fighter, that will be addressed at a meeting on September 23. Both fighters will be required to attend.
The news broke during UFC Tonight, and was confirmed by Cormier, who as an analyst on the show.
“I know I got the mail. I signed for it, I tried to give it back, but they would not accept it,” joked Cormier. “So I guess I will be there next Tuesday night.”
Although the brawl did not take place in a regulated event, NAC statutes allow for disciplinary action to be taken for behavior while preparing for a regulated contest.
MMAJunkie obtained copies of the complaints, which seek fines of up to $250,000, and potentially the entire amount of the purse. Of course, they may also just issue a warning. Still, the potential fine is sobering.
And once the NAC has penalized the fighters to whatever extent, the UFC has reserved the right to administer further sanctions.