THE NEW ENGLAND Patriots have conceded they can do little to stop Chandler Jones entering into a charity fight with his UFC champion brother Jon.
Chandler, a linebacker with the recently crowned Super Bowl champions, has outlined plans to organise a bout with his older sibling, who is currently ranked as the number one pound-for-pound fighter in MMA.
The younger Jones is confident he can beat his big brother if they stepped into the octagon, and wants to set up a one-round charity fight to prove his point, but he has been warned that any such event could have ramifications.
Patriots vice president of media relations, Stacey James, told TMZ:
“It’s not a matter of if we’d allow Chandler to fight his brother.
“We can’t stop the players from doing what they want. But he might be voiding his contract obligations to the team if he went out and did it.
“Without getting into a specific contract, there have to be clauses [in contracts] that protect the team, like restrictions of physical activity that would risk injury. Whether it be skiing, jumping out of a plane or riding a motorcycle without a helmet in a state that requires one.
“I think they’re having fun, but do I think fighting is something they’re actually serious about? No.”
Jon Jones is the UFC’s light heavyweight champion, a title he has defended a divisional-record eight times.
