UFC President Dana White said Wednesday that former light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones will have a shot to win back his title whenever he returns to competition.
MMAFighting.com’s Shaun Al-Shatti reported what White had to say about Jones’ UFC future during a Wednesday interview on The Jim Rome Show:
He comes right back and he fights for the title. He hasn’t had the time that Anderson Silva’s had, but he is the most dominant champion. If you look at the murderer’s row of the 205-pound division that he went through, and he just went through it like a hot knife through butter, I mean, he’s the man. So whenever he gets his stuff together, he’d come right back and fight for the title.
Jones has a 21-1 overall MMA record and was last seen in action defeating Daniel Cormier by unanimous decision at UFC 182. Numerous disciplinary issues led to Jones being suspended and stripped of his title, with the last straw being a felony charge for an alleged hit and run.
White did acknowledge Wednesday that he needs to see Jones make the proper changes in his life and get through his legal battles to merit another title shot.
“He’s got a civil suit against him and all this other stuff,” said White. “(We’ll) see how he gets through this and then find out where his head is. How does he handle himself through this situation and after it? I mean, I gotta see from him that he’s doing the right thing.”
Fox Sports: UFC notes how Cormier and another fighter have taken the position of Jones being allowed the right to take back his title:
Provided Jones can clean up his act away from the Octagon, it does make sense that White is open to letting the 27-year-old fighter pick up essentially where he left off—if he can—whenever he’s back.
With eight successful title defenses, Jones has established himself as a legitimate superstar and seems nearly unbeatable. One can only imagine how great Jones could be if he’s able to overcome his recent self-imposed adversity and focus even more exclusively on his UFC training.
The notion that Jones hasn’t fully unlocked his potential has to make MMA fans hopeful he can bounce back and rectify his wrongdoings.
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