Jon Jones is an absolute beast inside the Octagon, but he can't seem to stay out of trouble outside of it. The UFC light heavyweight champion found himself in some hot water again this week when he was arrested on a misdemeanor battery charge stemming from an incident at a strip club in Albuquerque, New Mexico, back in April.
Jones has been accused of putting a waitress at TD's Eubank Showclub in a chokehold, picking her up off the ground, and even pulling her down and kissing her neck. Police allege he also smacked the waitress in the genitals and continued to touch her before leaving the establishment. Although Jones took to social media to deny the incident, it's another dark cloud that looms over him.
UFC president Dana White, however, doesn't seem too concerned. In an interview published to the UFC YouTube channel, White claimed that he has seen footage of the incident, adding the odds are "very good" that Jones will fight again in 2019.
"The odds of him fighting are very good," White said. "Obviously, I said this before when asked about this. These are the type of things that happen when you're famous. With the limited footage that I've seen, yea, I think he's going to fight."
White was then asked about a possible opponent for Jones.
"Let's see how the [Daniel] Cormier, Stipe [Miocic] fight goes," he said. "I just think, the Cormier fight doesn't need to happen again, but I think people want it to happen again. I want to see it happen again. I know they both want it."
White added that he wants to see the rematch happen at heavyweight, but "those two are so stubborn and set in their ways."
"They both want it at 205," he revealed. "I don't understand, but what are you gonna do? I'll take it. I'll take it at 205, or heavyweight."
The Daniel Cormier, Jon Jones rivalry stems all the way back to 2015. Jones defeated Cormier by unanimous decision at UFC 182, winning the heavyweight championship and handing Cormier his first loss. He was stripped of the title, however, for violating the UFC's Athlete Code of Conduct policy.
The two met again in 2017 at UFC 214. Jones knocked out Cormier with a vicious kick to the head to claim the light heavyweight championship, but the results were later overturned to a no contest after Jones tested positive for turinabol. Cormier retained the light heavyweight championship but relinquished it in December 2018 after winning the heavyweight championship earlier that year. Jones returned from suspension to win the vacant light heavyweight belt by defeating Alexander Gustafsson.
So here we are: Daniel Cormier, the current UFC heavyweight championship, will have a title rematch with Stipe Miocic at UFC 241 this month. It doesn't seem like Jones, the current light heavyweight champion who last fought in July, will challenge him for the heavyweight. If the two do meet again — and it's unclear if they will given Cormier's desire to retire soon — it will likely be for the light heavyweight belt.