After Losing Nike Deal, Jon Jones Reportedly in Talks with Reebok

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who squandered a landmark endorsement deal with Nike earlier this year, is now in negotiations with Reebok for a new partnership.

That's according to broadcaster Ariel Helwani, who reported the news Wednesday on UFC Tonight (h/t MMAFighting).

Jones and his management also are in talks with several other potential sponsors, Helwani reported, though Reebok is the team's top target.

In 2012, Jones hooked up with Nike for a multi-year sponsorship agreement widely hailed as a trailblazer for the MMA community. That was thanks to its high visibility and international reach and for making him the first MMA fighter to have his own shoe line.

However, things started to unravel this summer after Jones brawled with rival Daniel Cormier at an Aug. 4 media event. It apparently didn't help when Jones and Cormier exchanged public and semi-public verbal salvos during a series of subsequent appearances.

During a September hearing about the brawl in front of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Jones acknowledged that he had lost his Nike deal in the wake of the dust-up. 

The commission docked Jones $50,000 and 40 hours of community service for his role in the brawl. The exact amount of the Nike deal has never been disclosed, though sources close to the situation have placed its worth in the "six-figure" range.

Jones (20-1) is generally considered the best overall fighter in MMA right now and probably one of the greatest of all time. However, the 27-year-old has often run into problems outside the cage, seemingly of his own making. 

Though the scuffle with Cormier cost him his shoe deal, it did generate massive interest in their fight. Unfortunately for many involved, UFC announced on August 12 that an injury would keep Jones from competing in September at UFC 178. The bout is now scheduled to take place in early January.