UFC president Dana White has reacted to Jon Jones’ promise to stop drinking following his most recent run-in with the law which resulted in the former UFC light-heavyweight champion being arrested yet again.
When asked about Jones’ statement, White stated bluntly “Ten years ago, you’re too late.”
Jones had been arrested and charged with battery domestic violence and a felony count of injuring or tampering with a vehicle after police in Las Vegas following his induction into the UFC Hall of Fame for his fight against Alexander Gustafsson.
Previous to the incident White had reservations about bringing Jones to Las Vegas, stating “It’s hard to bring this guy to Las Vegas for any reason. The city is not good for Jon Jones. And here we are again.
“When we bring him here, it’s almost expected. You can’t even get him into Las Vegas for less than 12 hours to induct him into the Hall of Fame. It’s a problem, you know?” (H/T MMA Junkie)
This is just another chapter in a long story of Jones’ controversies outside of the octagon, this would count as his fifth arrest and third which involved either drugs or alcohol. This is without mentioning the multiple failed tests for steroids or cocaine.
This incident comes in the midst of Jones’s preparation to make his heavyweight debut which is supposed to take place in 2022 and would mark his first fight in the UFC since February of 2020. The potential mega-fight between Jones and Francis Ngannou is now looking as far away as it ever has. The UFC will be waiting for Jones’ legal troubles to pan out before any decision will be made.
White stated, “We’ll do what we always do, we’re very consistent in that we’ll watch and see how this legally and what happens, and we’ll make a decision from there.”
Do you agree with Dana White? Should Jon Jones have quit drinking years ago?