Of all people, rival Daniel Cormier has come to the defense of Jon Jones, following the heavyweight champ pleading not guilty to misdemeanor charges of assault and interference with communications.
The charges stem from an incident, in part caught on security camera, involving Drug Free Sport sample collectors attending Jones’ home earlier this year. A female sample collector later alleged Jones threatened to kill her, and confiscated her phone, though video towards the end of the encounter shows testers high-fiving the UFC heavyweight champ.
Jones, of course, is no stranger to the legal system, and has been accused of assault, domestic violence, driving under the influence, and a litany of other charges in the past. His not guilty plea, first reported by MMA Fighting, comes as no surprise.
What does come as a surprise is seeing rival, and fellow former heavyweight champ Daniel Cormier, showing support.
Cormeir address the current controversy surrounding Jones on his Youtube channel this week.
“I know that we all rush to judge Jones because of his past issues, but the reality is, if a man is at his house and he’s having some drinks in the confines of his own home, so what?” Cormier stated (h/t MMA Junkie), no doubt surprising a few fans. “It’s his right to do that. And if the drug testers come, and he might be a little bit tipsy or messed up, maybe the interactions aren’t as fun or as easy as they may have been in different other occasions.”
“So, kind of always thought it was BS. I don’t think much is going to come of it, but because he is who he is, it’s always a story, regardless of what happens to this guy,” added DC. “And honestly, that’s kind of like living in the spotlight, but I think because of everything that he’s done in the past, the light shines a little brighter on him, even in situations where it shouldn’t. So, I don’t really think this is that big of a deal. Some of the things that happened in the past were much more serious.”
Daniel Cormier defending Jon Jones? Someone check hell, see if it’s frozen over.
