Out of all people former UFC double champion Daniel Cormier is coming to the rescue of long-time rival Jon Jones.
In case you missed it, Jones plead not guilty earlier this week to a pair of misdemeanor assault charges dating back to March. The UFC heavyweight champion allegedly threatened to kill a UFC drug tester when they visited his home for a random sample collection. Jones has denied the allegations and claims the tester “breached standard protocol.”
Whether or not Jones is found guilty, this is not a good look for his UFC brand. Jones has been in and out of legal issues for the better part of the past decade and can never seem to get out of his own way. More details will emerge about this most recent incident, but the judge did not let Jones go free after handing out pre-trial conditions like a ban on firearms and restrictions on drug and alcohol use.
The MMA community has provided mixed feedback about Jones’ altercation with the UFC drug tester, but Cormier is one former foe coming to his aid. “DC” usually tries to slight Jones whenever he can, but this time around he’s taking his side.
“If I’m being completely honest though, the whole time, I kind of thought that deal was B.S.” said Cormier on his YouTube channel (h/t MMA Fighting). “I feel like he was approached very early, or if I recall correctly it was either early in the morning or late in the evening, where he could have been home having some drinks.
“I know that we all rush to judge Jones because of his past issues, but the reality is if a man is at his house and he’s having some drinks in the confines of his own home, so what? It’s his right to do that. If the drug testers come and he might be a little bit tipsy or messed up, maybe the interactions aren’t as fun or as easy as they may have been in other occasions. I kind of always thought it was B.S. I don’t think much is going to come of it.”
“Because he is who he is, it’s always a story,” Cormier later added. “Regardless of what happens to this guy. Honestly, that’s kind of living in the spotlight, but I think because of everything he’s done in the past, the light shines a little brighter on him. I don’t really think that this is that big of a deal. It was always going to be a misdemeanor, but some of the things that has happened in the past were much more serious.
“If you are a Jones hater and you are hoping that something comes of this, I don’t think it will. I think this man was bombarded a little bit and I think a misdemeanor is only the court’s way of taking some action, because something has to be done whenever you do something wrong.”
Jones will return for a bench trial in the next two months so be sure to stick with Mania for ongoing updates.