Yahoo Sports Jon Jones Gets Immediate Title Shot When and If He Returns to the UFC
When former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones gets his legal troubles behind him and returns to fighting, he won’t have to work his way back up the 205-pound ladder. UFC president Dana White said Jones would get an immediate title shot if and when he returns to the octagon.
“He comes right back and fights for the title,” White said on The Jim Rome Show. “He hasn’t had the time Anderson Silva’s had, but he’s 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. Whenever he gets his stuff together, he can come right back and fight for the title.”
Jones was stripped of his belt following his alleged involvement in a felony hit-and-run accident in Albuquerque on April 27 that left a pregnant motorist injured. The 27-year-old could be facing jail time and is likely looking at a civil suit.
Jones defended his title a record eight times before having it taken away for violating the UFC’s Code of Conduct policies.
He became the youngest fighter to win a UFC championship when he defeated Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 128 in March 2011, at 23 years of age.
