After Jon Jones declared that his Nike endorsement deal was terminated because of his brawl with fellow UFC fighter Daniel Cormier, the prominent corporation confirmed it is no longer backing the MMA star.
Darren Rovell of ESPN reported Tuesday that Jones was indeed no longer endorsed by Nike, and also analyzed the potential reasoning behind the decision:
Nike confirms it has terminated its endorsement deal with @JonnyBones
— darren rovell (@darrenrovell) September 24, 2014
UFC fighter Jon Jones says Nike terminated his deal because of a press conference fight. Doubtful it's that alone.
— darren rovell (@darrenrovell) September 24, 2014
The brawl between Jones and Cormier occurred Aug. 4 in a promotional press conference for UFC 178 at Las Vegas' MGM Grand Hotel and Casino. As reported by ESPN.com's Brett Okamoto on Tuesday, both fighters were fined and ordered to complete community service.
Okamoto cleared up a key stipulation of Jones' punishment, which was determined by the Nevada State Athletic Commission:
To clarify something Jon Jones DOES NOT have to do his community service in Las Vegas. Just has to do 40 hours total before fight on Jan. 3.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) September 24, 2014
Jones, who was assessed a $50,000 fine and 40 hours of community service, took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the commission's decision, along with his Nike endorsement termination—which wasn't confirmed until Wednesday:
The fact that this needs to be completed before the fight is definitely going to have effect on my camp. I respect the commission though
— Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) September 23, 2014
Yes but I have absolutely zero animosity they've been great to me “@TMTJackson1: @JonnyBones is it true u got dumped by nike?”
— Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) September 23, 2014
Adversity in my life has always made me stronger I'll find a way to make this a win
— Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) September 24, 2014
Rovell alluded to some of the other scandals in the sports world that have caused Nike to part ways with several big names in recent weeks:
Nike has announced termination of the following deals in last 15 days: Ray Rice, Oscar Pistorius, Adrian Peterson & Jon Jones.
— darren rovell (@darrenrovell) September 24, 2014
January's UFC 182 is when Jones and Cormier are set to tangle in a highly anticipated showdown that has only been hyped more by their prior animosity and hostility toward each other.
Cormier is 15-0 in his MMA career, while Jones (20-1) has just one loss to Matt Hamill by way of a disqualification from December 2009. Something will have to give in the fight, and it figures to be among the most intense in recent UFC memory.
