UFC News: Jon Jones Fined, Loses Six-Figure Nike Endorsement Deal Over Daniel Cormier Brawl [VIDEO]
The cockiness of Jon Jones has just cost him a lot of money.
The reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion and Cormier appeared Tuesday before the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC). This is to answer for their actions in a brawl that took place August 3 while they were on shoot in Las Vegas to promote the now-cancelled UFC 178. The Commission ordered both fighters to pay a 10 percent fine of their purse from the match, which is approximately $50,000 for Jones, but only $9,000 for Cormier, plus 40 hours of community service, as per MMA Junkie, a sports site dedicated to mixed martial arts news.
While the fines and service can be stomached, the latest development makes Bones weep. Nike reportedly dropped the American champion as one of its product endorsers. This forfeits Jones of a six-figure earning from the shoe company as well as the loss of free merchandise.
Jones was signed to the company way back 2012 with a very special group of mixed martial arts personalities to the tune of six figures. It was a milestone for the world of mixed martial arts as the company rarely tapped its pool of athletes for marketing. The deal included that Nike would make apparel that bore Jones' name and during fight nights, the champ could be seen wearing his gear with the patented check sign. However, due to the fight termed by the NAC as "bad for the sport," he has nothing to show now from the sneakers apparel.
Cormier and Jones were supposed to fightend of September in UFC 178, but that was postponed due to the leg injury suffered by the brawler during practice. That has now been moved to UFC 182 slated for January 2015. Given these new updates, Jones would have to recuperate most of the money lost from the pay-per-view shares but still, it would be impossible to approach the Nike compensation.
Now, watch how Bones becomes remorseful over losing his shoe deal:
(Video Courtesy of: FOX Sports)