Jon Jones
Jones will serve as an Honorary Race Official on Sunday
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will add another accolade to his mantel this weekend, and it has nothing to do with fighting.
Jones will serve as an Honorary Race Official for Sunday’s Daytona 500 event at Florida’s Daytona International Speedway. The NASCAR event is part of the auto racing organization’s Sprint Cup Series and opens the NASCAR season. The event airs at 1 p.m. Eastern on Sunday on the Fox network, which in 2012 entered into a seven-year broadcast deal with the UFC.
Part of Jones’ duties, according to a release sent to HeavyMMA, will be an introduction at the drivers’ pre-race meeting, participation in pre-race ceremonies and a ride in an official honorary race car ahead of the field before the 500-mile race.
“I am thrilled to be able to serve as Honorary Race Official at this year’s Daytona 500,” Jones said in a release. “Like the UFC, NASCAR has a passionate and knowledgeable fan base, and I am honored that I will get to share this experience with them.”
“Jon ‘Bones’ Jones is the biggest name in mixed martial arts,” Daytona International Speedway president Joie Chitwood III said. “We are excited to welcome him to the World Center of Racing and have him be a part of the pre-race ceremonies for NASCAR’s biggest, richest and most prestigious race.”
Jones (15-1, 9-1 UFC) will headline the UFC 145 pay-per-view on April 21 in Atlanta against former friend and training partner Rashad Evans (17-1-1, 12-1-1 UFC).