Instead, Jones was arrested for felony hit-and-run, indefinitely suspended by the UFC and stripped of his hardware.
The UFC moved quickly to try and salvage the highly-anticipated event by arranging a title tilt between Johnson and former top contender Daniel Cormier for the vacant 205-pound belt. Not a bad Plan B, but still not the same.
During Wednesday’s UFC 187 conference call, Jones was still the hottest topic of discussion despite the fact he won’t be anywhere near MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Mary 23. The primary question is, will Johnson or Cormier be considered the real champion or merely a paper champ because the winner never beat Jones, the most decorated champion in UFC light heavyweight history?