SUMMARY
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UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and challenger Daniel Cormier engaged in a full-fledged brawl during the UFC 178 media event at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on Tuesday, August 5 (PH Time).
As both men met on stage for a traditional pre-fight staredown, Jones intentionally put his forehead on his counterpart, but Cormier responded by shoving the champion.
UFC public relations head Dave Sholler tried to halt the commotion and split the two fighters, but he ended up being pushed into the stage’s backdrop in the process by Jones.
Jones immediately went after Cormier, throwing a big left hand before crashing down to the floor where they continued to scuffle until being separated.
After order was restored, Jones returned to the stage to celebrate in front of fans and media members in attendance.
Moments after the mayhem came to a conclusion, the back-and-forth trade persisted as Jones and Cormier exchanged tirades via microblogging site Twitter.
According to the issued statement by UFC chief legal officer Kirk Hendrick through the company’s official website, the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) promotions will be handing out sanctions due to the heated confrontation.
“This is certainly not a proud moment for the UFC organization. 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,” he stated.
Although Jones and Cormier issued a public apology on the latest edition of ESPN’s “SportCenter” due to the disappointing occurrence, Hendrick stressed that it is not adequate to cover the damages.
“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,” he asserted.
Aside from the UFC, the Nevada State Athletic Commission has vowed to review the incident and may also levy its own sanctions.
“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,” Hendrick said.
Jones will be locking horns with Cormier in the main event of UFC 178, which takes place at the 16,800-capacity MGM Grand Garden Arena on September 27 (September 28 in PH).
The 6-foot-4 “Bones” (20-1) became the first light heavyweight competitor in UFC history to make seven successful title defenses by carving out a lopsided unanimous decision victory over Glover Teixeira at UFC 172 in April.
Jones first held the golden strap when he finished Mauricio “Shogun” Rua with a third-round technical knockout at UFC 128 in March 2011 and went on by beating the likes of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans, Vitor Belfort, Chael Sonnen, Alexander Gustafsson and Teixeira.
On the opposite end, Cormier (15-0) is unbeaten in his MMA career and owns notable victories over Dan Henderson, Patrick Cummins, Roy Nelson and Frank Mir.
The 2012 Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix winner has long expressed his interest in squaring off with Jones and made the move down to 205 pounds earlier this year with the sole intention of a title showdown. – Rappler.com
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