Jon Jones reinstated to UFC

Former UFC champion Jon Jones has been formally reinstated to the UFC roster after serving a suspension for figuring in a hit-and-run accident involving a pregnant woman.

Jones was arrested last April 27 after running a red light in a rented SUV and causing a three-car collision in Albuquerque. The former light heavyweight champion pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of the accident.

Jones was eventually granted a discharge on condition that he will undergo 18 months of supervised probation and 72 charity speaking appearances with children.

He will not be convicted of a felony if he fulfills the conditions of his probation.

"We've made it clear to Jon that this new opportunity to compete in UFC is a privilege and not a right, and that there are significant expectations we have regarding his conduct moving forward," said UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta in a statement posted on MMA Fighting.



"We're happy to read and see reports that he has embraced the terms of his plea agreement and is using this experience to grow and develop as a person."

Jones, for his part, expressed remorse for his actions and vowed that "the best is yet to come."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

New champ Cormier expects to fight Jon Jones again

New UFC light-heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier is convinced that he will one day face former titleholder Jon Jones again – that is, once "Bones" has gotten his life in order.

Jones was suspended and stripped of his title by the UFC after his involvement in a hit-and-run incident in Albuquerque, and Cormier wound up taking his place at UFC 187, where he faced Anthony Johnson for the now-vacant belt.

Cormier survived an onslaught by Johnson in the opening round and went on to win by submission in the third when he forced "Rumble" to tap to a rear-naked choke.

After his win, Cormier sent a short but blunt statement to Jones: "Jon Jones, get your sh*t together, I'm waiting for you!"

"It's unfortunate, but I believe he'll get his stuff together, and him and I will fight again," Cormier said in the post-fight press conference, as quoted by MMA Fighting.

"I said, I'm the kid at the wrestling tournament who's always in your bracket. It's not just one tournament. It's over the course of the year," he added.

Jones had already beaten Cormier when they first fought in January, which the new champion compared to being defeated "at a dual meet at a regional tournament."

"But there's still a state tournament and a national tournament. So there's plenty of times for him and I to compete against each other," he added.

At the same time, Cormier made it clear that although he did not beat Jones, his claim on the light-heavyweight belt is still legitimate.

"You see what's sitting right there? That's a gold belt," Cormier said. "That thing's reserved for the UFC champion."

"I didn't disqualify myself from competition. Jon did. Jon's the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world. We all know that," he added.

"But he disqualified himself from this competition right now, so I am the champion. I'm very proud of what I accomplished tonight," he stressed.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Jon Jones stripped of UFC title, suspended

Jon "Bones" Jones has been stripped of his light heavyweight title and is suspended indefinitely, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) announced in a statement.

This comes after the 27-year-old Jones turned himself in to Albuquerque authorities on a felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident involving personal injury.

"As a result of the charge and other violations of the Athlete Code of Conduct Policy, the organization believes it is best to allow Jones time to focus on his pending legal matters," the UFC said.

"UFC feels strongly that its athletes must uphold certain standards both in and out of the Octagon," it added.

The UFC said it was disappointed but "remains supportive of Jones as he works through the legal process."

Jones was supposed to defend his light heavyweight belt against Anthony Johnson on May 23 in the main event of UFC 187.

Daniel Cormier – whom Jones beat earlier this year – will replace him in the main event.

Jones made his first appearance at the San Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court on Tuesday and was released on a bail continuance, MMA Fighting reported.

It is the latest issue to hound Jones, who failed a drug test ahead of his UFC 182 bout against Cormier, when traces of the primary metabolite for cocaine were found in his system. He entered a rehabilitation center but stayed for only one night; the UFC fined him $25,000 for violating the Athlete Code of Conduct Policy.

Jones apologized to fans on Twitter, saying: "Got a lot of soul searching to do. Sorry to everyone I've let down."

Jones, the top pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC, won the light-heavyweight title on March 19, 2011, beating Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. He has defended the belt eight times.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

UFC: Jones dominates Teixeira to retain title

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light-heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones had little trouble defending his belt against Glover Teixeira in the main event of UFC 172, as he cruised a to a dominant unanimous decision victory.

Teixeira, who has not lost since 2006, was considered to be a tough match-up for Jones, who is coming off a difficult title defense against Alex Gustafsson in 2013.

But Jones proved that he has fully recovered from that tough outing, using his superior striking skills to dominate Teixeira, landing a variety of shots including elbows and low kicks.

Teixeira’s best moment came in the second round, when he was able to close the distance against Jones and catch him with some shots, but the champion quickly recovered.

In the third round, Jones opened up a cut above the Brazilian’s right eyebrow with a barrage of elbows.

Jones was also able to knock Teixeira’s mouthpiece off with a well-placed uppercut in the third round, and again in the fourth round, this time with a jab. Teixeira lost his mouthpiece for a third time in the fifth round, and saw little success even at close

Jones was unable to earn a stoppage win, but all three judges scored the bout in his favor, 50-45.

“The game plan was takedowns and going at him from range,” Jones said after the fight, as quoted by MMA Fighting. “But I realized he was winding up on his punches, and you can’t do that when someone is on top of you.”

“I realized I was a lot better hand fighter than he was,” he added.

Jones won his 11th straight UFC fight, and his seventh consecutive title defense. Meanwhile, Teixeira saw his 20-fight winning streak snapped.

“My game plan was to push him, but hey, he’s a great champion,” he later said.

In the co-main event, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson marked his UFC return with a unanimous decision win against light-heavyweight contender Phil Davis.

Johnson used his power to his advantage, rocking Davis multiple times while also successfully preventing any takedown attempts.

All three judges scored the bout 30-27 in Johnson’s favor.

In another match, Luke Rockhold submitted Tim Boetsch in the first round with a kimura in the opening round.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

UFC: Jones crushes Sonnen via 1st-round TKO

MANILA, Philippines – Light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones put Chael Sonnen through a wrestling clinic before repeatedly pounding the challenger for a first-round stoppage win in UFC 159.

Jones proved that he was the better wrestler by immediately going after Sonnen and tackling him down thrice in what was supposed to be a five-round fight.

Sonnen nearly got Jones in a guillotine choke before the third takedown, but the champion wrapped his arms behind Sonnen’s leg and slammed the challenger hard to the mat.

Jones then trapped Sonnen against the cage and began pounding away until the referee stopped the action at 4:33 minutes of the first round.

"I was just glad to beat Chael Sonnen," said Jones, who tied Tito Ortiz for making five successful defenses at light heavyweight. "He's an awesome opponent. We went through a lot of drama and he motivated me a lot."

Sonnen, on the other hand, was all praises for Jones.

"He's an excellent fighter," said the former middleweight contender. "I have no problem with the decision of that stoppage. He's very powerful. He went for the kill and never stopped. I thought I was alright, but he's the better fighter."

Sonnen is also contemplating retirement after his loss to Jones.

"I'm going to think it through," he said. "I'm not going to be one of the guys who hangs around if he doesn't have a road to the title. I believe that was my last opportunity."

Meanwhile, Jones sustained an injury in UFC 159. The champion had a broken big toe in his left foot and it was not clear if he suffered it during or after his fight against Sonnen.

Jones himself didn’t realize the injury until he was interviewed by Joe Rogan.

In the main supporting bout, Michael Bisping was awarded a unanimous technical decision over Alan Belcher after the bout was stopped due an accidental eye poke.

Bisping was effectively handling his opponent until his fingers swiped s across Belcher's eye.

Belcher went down in pain, forcing the referee to stop the fight.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

'Jones looked unbeatable vs Belfort'

MANILA, Philippines – Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White was all praises for Jon Jones for the fighter’s performance in UFC 152.

White said what impressed him the most about Jones was how acted like he was not injured even after Vitor Belfort hyper-extended his elbow through an arm bar in the first round of their title fight over the weekend.

"He got caught in the arm bar there," White said in Yahoo! Sports.


"There's no way it wasn't popped,” White said of Jones’ arm. “He pulled it out and started fighting like his arm didn't get popped. In no way, shape or form did that guy show any weakness whatsoever.”

Despite the injury, Jones fought on and trapped Belfort with an Americana or a figure-four arm lock in the fourth round. Belfort was then forced to tap out 54 seconds left in Round 4.

"His arm was hurt. He couldn't throw punches with it any more. He couldn't drop elbows with it any more. He made an injured elbow look like it wasn't [injured]. I think the guy looked phenomenal tonight. He took great punches from a real puncher and a guy who wanted to win that fight. … I think Jon Jones did look unbeatable," said White.

White also said that his talk with Jones after the fight went well.

White and Jones had a word war over UFC 151's cancellation, but White said everything was eventually threshed out.

"The Jon Jones conversation went much better," White said.

source: abs-cbnnews.com