Jon Jones' Agent Says Fighter Shouldn't Have Been Stripped of Title

A manager for former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones believes the organization was wrong to strip the fighter of his championship so quickly after an alleged hit-and-run crash last month.

Marc Raimondi of MMA Fighting passed along comments made by Malki Kawa during an appearance on the The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani. He believes the company should have let the process play out before making such a major decision:

Jon Jones won that belt inside the Octagon. 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.

He also pointed out the potential issues of trying to promote Daniel Cormier as champion should he defeat Anthony Johnson for the vacant title after losing to Jones in January.

"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."

Kawa noted Jones is now no longer sure whether he wants to continue his MMA career once the situation is complete.

How long that will take is unknown. The Associated Press and Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com reported Jones is facing a felony charge after reportedly striking the car of a pregnant woman, who had her arm broken in the crash, and then leaving the scene of the crime.

Obviously, there are a lot more questions than answers at this stage of the process. His status won't become clear until the case is settled.

A manager coming out in support of a client doesn't come as a surprise. The UFC was forced to make a quick judgment after the incident grabbed headlines. It decided an indefinite suspension and stripping him of the title was the way to go.