Dana White is now refuting an earlier report which had Jon Jones’ own mother saying that the UFC champion only spent one night in rehab. While he didn’t elaborate too much, the UFC president says that it’s “not necessarily the case”, and Jones will be releasing his own statement soon.
“When the whole story comes out, people will understand, it will be put into perspective,” White told the Boston Herald. “When Jon Jones comes out and does his interview, the truth will come out, and everyone will understand. Or they won’t, you know. Jon is a very polarizing guy, people either love him or they hate him. Either way, the truth will come out soon.”
Related: Did Jon Jones hide from a drug test? | Opinion: UFC risks reputation by not punishing Jones
White also defended his stance of not punishing Jones even after he violated the terms from the UFC code of conduct:
White defended allowing the fight to go forward despite a company code of conduct that allows the UFC to discipline fighters for “criminal offenses relating to performance-enhancing and prohibited substances, or substance abuse.” He pointed out that Jones is not charged with a crime and already had signed a contract to fight for a substantial sum.
“You can bust guys, you can fine guys, but I can’t pull him out of a fight,” White said. “That thing will be in a lawsuit in 3.5 seconds and I’ll lose. So then we don’t have a fight and I’ve still got to pay the money.”
“When you start talking about cocaine and some of these other drugs, that’s hardcore stuff, man, and that’s when people need help,” White said. “So I want to know that. I wish I could know what everybody was doing, but you can’t police 567 guys year-round.”
It is indeed tough to monitor hundreds of fighters. Although the issue pundits have brought up during this whole situation isn’t how to catch someone, it’s more about what you do when actually get proof that they broke the rules you’ve set.
Follow me on twitter — @antontabuena
About the author
