Jon Jones lost Nike endorsement as a result of brawl with Daniel Cormier
Following a heated staredown in August that resulted in a brawl inside the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones appeared before the Nevada Athletic Commission on Tuesday where he was fined $50,000 for his part in the melee along with Daniel Cormier, who has to pay $9000 of his money for the infraction.
Both fighters will also serve community service.
The two fighters went in front of the commission separately to answer questions before having their penalties handed down.
Jones was first and spent nearly 40 minutes speaking to the commissioners for the first time in his mixed martial arts career. During the course of the proceeding, Jones admitted that the financial fallout from the brawl has already impacted him greatly. Most notably, Jones stated that he lost his Nike endorsement deal as a result of his actions during the brawl with Cormier.
"I've lost a very big endorsement of mine, one of my biggest," Jones said. "My Nike deal."
Jones signed with Nike in 2012, which included a training shoe as well as a line of t-shirts in his likeness. Jones didn't disclose the exact amount of money he lost but did state that he was making six-figures from the deal.
Ultimately, after a huge amount of back and forth and discussion amongst the commission, they decided that Jones was responsible for his part in the brawl and should face a fine as a penalty, but no suspension would be handed down.
The commissioners voted unanimously to fine Jones an amount of $50,000 (10-percent of his purse of $500,000) and that he complete 40-hours of community service in Nevada. The community service has to be compelted prior to his fight at UFC 182 in Janaury. Jones took to Twitter after the proceedings where he admitted that the community service will definitely impact his training camp, but he'll happily use his time to speak to children and make a positive impact in their lives.
Following Jones' appearance, it was Cormier's turn to stand tall before the commission where he also apologized for his part in the brawl.
It was much of the same question and answer with Cormier, although he admitted that he didn't have a Nike deal to lose like Jones but he did lose kids in his youth wrestling program in San Jose. According to Cormier, some children or their parents didn't want to be associated with him after the brawl went down in Las Vegas.
"For me, I value different things," Cormier said. "I get happy when I win a fight, I enjoy winning, I enjoy getting paid, but I'm happy when I see my son take his first wrestling class and do well or these other kids win a state championship and their parents crying, that's value to me. I lost my best kid. I had a kid that was an All-American and a two-time state champion and they walked away."
In the midst of the proceedings, Cormier revealed that his pay for the upcoming fight with Jones at UFC 182 in January would be $90,000 to show and an additional $90,000 if he wins. Because the great disparity between the pay of the two fighters, the commission suggested a 10-percent fine — $9,000 — and 20 hours of community service in his hometown of San Jose.
The vote was unanimous and Cormier accepted the penalty before leaving the room.
