While there are two sides to every debate, it is clear that Jon Jones’ manager, Malki Kawa has picked one.
While Kawa understands that Dana White’s hand was forced and that he simply had to suspend Jon Jones for his alleged involvement in a hit-and-run accident, he does not believe that the former light heavyweight champion should have been stripped of the title, a belt that he has successfully defended eight times.
“Jon Jones won that belt inside the Octagon,” Kawa said on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour. “Nobody beat him for the belt. That’s just one case in itself. But on the other hand, we’re jumping to a lot of conclusions. We haven’t let things play out. He hasn’t had his day in court and I don’t think it’s OK to just hand punishments down like that. But I do definitely understand where the UFC, sponsors and everyone is coming from. I can totally understand.”
Kawa continued by saying that it doesn’t matter who wins the title in the match between Anthony Johnson and Daniel Cormier at UFC 187 as many in the MMA community wouldn’t consider them to be the real champion.
“If you’re Daniel Cormier and you win this belt, right, and you go parading around the world and you’re this and you’re that, do you think anyone on the face of this Earth can actually take you serious?” Kawa said. “It would be such a joke at that point.”
