Dana White: Jones had 'the right to fight,' canceling Cormier fight was not an option

[Hans Gruber]

Dana White made the following statement today about Jon Jones:

"[What] people have to understand in this situation [is that] Jon Jones was contracted to fight, and everyone thinks we can just say,

 

[MagnusGOAT]

Translation: "The UFC had the right to make the money"

 

[Lovetap]

none of that is dc's call.

it's fair to question whether the ac handled the issue of the t/e correctly. but dc has nothing to do with it.

He absolutely has the right to know of abnormalities with his opponents drug testing. And it most certainly is his decision whether or not to fight. He isn't a slave.

At the very least I think the UFC and the NSAC need to learn from these mistakes.

 

[Starman]

Why cancel the fight?

Everyone wanted to see the fight. DC wanted to fight. Bones wanted to fight. The venue was sold out etc.

THERE WAS NO REASON TO STOP THE FIGHT JUST BECAUSE HE PARTEY BETWEEN FIGHTS.

Yes there was. Jones was clearly in violation of the UFC's conduct policy.

 

[The Clinch]

Dana White is out of his mind if he thinks he can spin this as, "Well Jones had his contract with us and we're forced to honor it." Like the UFC had their hands tied and were forced to allow the fight to happen.. Does the UFC code of ethics deem it okay for fighters to use drugs?

Jones wasn't even notified until after the fight.. What the fuck is up with that? UFC were the only ones contacted with the test results? Why wasn't Jones contacted first and then the UFC?

Some dirty games going on here. NSAC and UFC needed Jones to fight, simply using him for their own gain first.

After the fight Dana White is all of a sudden worried about Jones "as a person". Money first.

 

[antithetic]

I'm gonna give a short insight from my own experience, because I undersatand White's stance here.

For a big show I found out a fighter left the arena after rules meeting (against the comission's rules). As I looked for him it became pretty clear he was off to take some sort of supplement/upper.

The options were to cancel the fight or play this smoke screen. Due to the competitive nature of the opponent (a friend of mine in fact) and the fact it would mess with him more to find out about his opponent potentially "on one" I decided to play smoke screen.

I stated to the commission that the missing fighter was "probably taking a nap somewhere" and that's why we couldn't find him. Meanwhile I knew he was across town at a hotel and needed to come back.

When he returned, I instructed him to state he had been sleeping under a tree outside the premesis. Given his fight was five hours away, the commission bought it and the fight occurred. My friend was finished and the fighter, clearly on another level of energy, won the fight.

Point being: This stuff happens and sometimes you make decisions as the organization "decider".

I agree, but I think taking the high road in this case would help the UFC more. They are already getting buried in shit, and people are questioning them.

Cancelling the fight would be a huge blow the second time around but for me I've lost all respect for them. What little I had. Not that anyone cares. =D

 

[kflo]

He absolutely has the right to know of abnormalities with his opponents drug testing. And it most certainly is his decision whether or not to fight. He isn't a slave.

At the very least I think the UFC and the NSAC need to learn from these mistakes.

it is the ac that determines if he passed their test or not. not to ask dc what he thinks. and dc does not have the right to just drop out if the ac determines that there was no violation.

again, the issue is whether the ac should have done anything else with the results in assessing whether they were good or not. not to consult with dc on it.

 

[kflo]

Dana White is out of his mind if he thinks he can spin this as, "Well Jones had his contract with us and we're forced to honor it." Like the UFC had their hands tied and were forced to allow the fight to happen.. Does the UFC code of ethics deem it okay for fighters to use drugs?

Jones wasn't even notified until after the fight.. What the fuck is up with that? UFC were the only ones contacted with the test results? Why wasn't Jones contacted first and then the UFC?

Some dirty games going on here. NSAC and UFC needed Jones to fight, simply using him for their own gain first.

After the fight Dana White is all of a sudden worried about Jones "as a person". Money first.

you think when the ufc sees a pic with nate smoking pot they look through their code of ethics?

and i'm sure it would have been a revelation to jones that he did coke.

 

[Zanmato]

remember when they cancelled a whole event because Jones v Chael couldn't be put together last minute? did those guys not have a right to fight?

 

[The Clinch]

you think when the ufc sees a pic with nate smoking pot they look through their code of ethics?

and i'm sure it would have been a revelation to jones that he did coke.

It's pot. It's legal in some areas.

And really, it's pot.

 

[Bones245n4847]

It was a 1 fight card. Think of all the promos and chit and the Coca Cola results came out less than a month prior. This would have canceled the whole card, plus it was OOC like what everyone has said the past couple days.

 

[psyops]

It would cost the UFC too much money to cancel the fight. They already had a terrible year in 2014. Obviously it was the right call because the ppv did 750ks from early estimates.

 

[KlNG]

Except you took away someone's ''right to fight'' for something more minuscule than a positive cocaine test...

 

[pluckinchicken]

why the fuck does it always have the "Card subject to change" bullshit?!

 

[estranged]

lol at the right to fight

 

[Shaddows]

Dana White made the following statement today about Jon Jones:

"[What] people have to understand in this situation [is that] Jon Jones was contracted to fight, and everyone thinks we can just say,

 

[kflo]

That is BS.
I understand what Dana is saying, but that's a load of crap.

Zuffa has the Code of Conduct. They can punish any fighter for doing something wrong. And using Cocaine gives them the right to suspend Jon thus canceling the fight.

They did not do it because they wanted the get the money before Jon went to treatment (and potentially could retire from MMA).

they didn't do it because they're not morons. noone would have done it. it makes no sense. seriously. stop. noone would have done it.

 

[Shaddows]

they didn't do it because they're not morons. noone would have done it. it makes no sense. seriously. stop. noone would have done it.

Do you even think before typing?
I thought you were a smart poster! Pretty disappointed.

Just because greed is ingrained in our lives, it doesn't mean it should be this way.

And IMHO I disagree with you.
if this was weed (and weed was not allowed), I would see the point.
But Coke? Sorry. IMHO this becomes a much bigger issue, with much bigger risks involved, and as much money as they made with this fight, I think it is a PR nightmare that can have serious consequences.

Am I naive enough to think they would give up the money? no.
But you should be mentally handicap if you think this is ok because "it's the norm".

If anything, this opens a way to close the gap and set rules for future cases, so we are not back to the same point if Gus or other fighter gets caught using coke a month prior to their events!
Just letting it be is the absolute worst action anyone could think of doing right now!

 

[WrestlinganJudo]

it's really none of his business. what does "different person than you thought he is" mean?

Your being a bit stupid right now.