Jon Jones told the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) in September that he lost his Nike endorsement due to a brawl he had with Daniel Cormier during a press event in the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Last week, Jones backtracked from that statement and now the Nevada deputy attorney general is reviewing whether or not Jones perjured himself under oath at the hearing, MMAFighting.com has learned.
NAC executive director Bob Bennett said the commission is aware of Jones' comments prior to UFC 182 and the matter has been sent up the ladder.
"They're considering it for review," Bennett said. "It's nothing new to us.
"It would be concerning if anyone lied during testimony."
This is a separate issue for Jones than the one that surfaced Tuesday. Jones tested positive for cocaine metabolites in an out-of-competition drug test taken Dec. 4. On Tuesday, Jones announced he would be entering into a drug-treatment facility. This comes just days after Jones successfully defended his UFC light heavyweight title against Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 on Jan. 3.
Nevada follows the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which stipulates that cocaine metabolites are not prohibited out of competition, only in competition. Therefore, Jones faced no immediate disciplinary action from the commission. Jones took a test one week later and was clean.
A source told MMAFighting.com that the failed test could come up the next time Jones applies for a license. Christopher Eccles, a Nevada deputy attorney general, could not comment on whether the two situations -- the failed drug test and alleged lying under oath -- would affect Jones fighting in the state in the future.
"That's something that will have to be looked at in conjunction with Bob Bennett," Eccles said.
When asked by the NAC in September if there were any ramifications to the brawl with Cormier, Jones said he lost sponsors and then confirmed it was Nike. Jones' lawyer Ofir Ventura said the contract was "over six figures" per year.
"It's pretty damaging if you really consider it," Ventura said.
The commission's decision for discipline on Jones and Cormier for the scuffle was shaped by whether or not there were outside consequences. Cormier said one of the youth wrestlers he coached left his program due to the incident. Jones ended up being fined $50,000 and was tasked with 40 hours of community service in the Las Vegas area. Cormier was fined $9,000 and ordered to do 20 hours of community service in Las Vegas.
Last week on a media conference call, Jones backed off his claims that he lost the Nike deal due to the brawl. Jones said he and Nike made a mutual choice to part ways months before he and Cormier got into it in the MGM Grand lobby.
"When I was in front of the commission, I definitely worded it wrong," Jones said. "Nike did not drop me because of that fight and I kind of owe an apology to Nike for saying they dropped me because of the fight. They actually didn't. Nike has been known to support its athletes through much worse things than a brawl in the middle of MGM [Grand]."
Jones clarified his statement further after UFC 182 open workouts Dec. 31, saying that he didn't lie to the NAC: the brawl "sped up" his split with Nike and he lost money in the process.
"I had like thousands of dollars of credit left on my Nike account that I never got to spend," Jones said. "I had several months of monthly revenue money that I never got to receive. ... So I lost several thousand dollars because of that fight, so technically that fight was the reason for thousands of dollars being out of my bank that I couldn't receive. So technically, they have nothing to come back on me for."
Evidently, that will be up to the Nevada deputy attorney general. Bennett said the issue could be brought up at a future NAC hearing depending on the findings.
