The press conference brawl between UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones and challenger Daniel Cormier may result in penalties for both fighters.
The incident took place on Monday at the kickoff meeting for the upcoming fight between Jones and Cormier, which will be held at UFC 178, according to UFC.com. Kirk Hendrick, chief legal officer of the UFC, said the incident is not one that the mixed martial arts promotion company can be proud of.
"We expect more from our athletes, especially these two gentlemen, who are very well-trained and highly educated professionals," Hendrick said. "Their actions were clearly a violation of the UFC's code of conduct."
The Nevada Athletic Commission has asked the UFC to provide a video of the confrontation, and will look into disciplinary action after studying the footage, Yahoo! Sports reported. The UFC said it will still consider punishing Jones and Cormier no matter what the commission decides to do.
"We are going to reserve our right to penalize both fighters after the commission has made a decision," Hendrick said. "We expect more from our athletes and we are prepared to levy sanctions to reinforce the appropriate behavior."
One good thing about the brawl is that it did not result in Jones or Cormier getting seriously injured, UFC.com reported. There were also no injuries among anyone who attended the event.
"There are going to be ramifications." Hendrick concluded. "Whether you're a champion, or this is your first fight in the UFC, there are going to be ramifications from the UFC for these actions."
