Three months ago, UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones told the Nevada State Athletic Commission he had lost an endorsement deal with Nike as the result of an infamous brawl with Daniel Cormier.

But today, during a teleconference in support of the pair’s headliner at Saturday’s UFC 182, Jones said his separation with the apparel giant was a mutually agreed upon decision that was solidified “months” before the incident in the lobby of Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Hotel & Casino.

“When I was in front of the commission, I definitely worded it wrong,” Jones said. “Nike did not drop me because of that fight. And I kind of owe an apology to Nike for saying that they dropped me because of the fight. They actually didn’t.”

At an NSAC hearing that led to fines for both Jones and Cormier, Jones, who had been sworn in and advised of a penalty for perjury, was asked to think of a suitable punishment for his behavior that day. He said, “I was assuming it would be a financial thing. I’ve faced some punishment already.

“I’ve lost a very big endorser of mine. One of my biggest.”

Asked to elaborate on the sponsor he had lost, he replied, “The Nike deal.” He and his lawyer declined to provide specifics on the monetary value of the endorsement.

Today, Jones explained: “The truth is, Nike didn’t seem as if they wanted to move forward in the field of MMA. They weren’t activating me in the way they said they would. They promised me a lot of commercials and all types of stuff, outside of the financial and the merchandise. My (Nike) rep came to me and said, ‘I know we promised you this, but I don’t think we’re moving in that direction.’ So they said we will keep you on board as long as you want to be on board; it’s a pleasure to work with you, and obviously, we’ll do everything with you outside of the octagon, but your deal is still there.

“I had just finished the second year of my deal, and I was going to get ready to start my third year of the deal, and I told them, ‘You know what? If you guys aren’t too serious about martial arts, then I don’t want to be a part of the company. Hopefully, I can respectfully leave.’ And they said, ‘Well, Jon if you don’t like the deal we have in place, then we’ll give you that out.’ So I was supposed to be out, because we talked about it, it was already official, everyone at headquarters knew. My team knew that I wasn’t going to do my third year with Nike.”

But, as Jones continued, the brawl actually did accelerate his release from the contract, despite his assertion that the deal was already off, at least in principle.

“Then we got into the brawl, and my rep called me and said, ‘Jon, I know we were going to wait another month or two before … having you sign a contract to release you, but since you got in this fight, let’s just have you sign this paperwork now, and let’s just not waste your time and allow you to go your own way,'” Jones explained. “So, the truth of the matter is, I did not get dropped by Nike. It was a mutual thing, something we had discussed months before the fight. Now I’m with Reebok, and I’m so happy to be with Reebok.”

The rule Jones was advised of three months ago, NRS 467.115, addresses false oaths made before the commission. Those who make a false oath are guilty of perjury, a felony which, if upheld, carries a potential punishment of up to one year in jail and a $5,000 fine.

For now, though, there is no clarification on whether Jones’ statements could be viewed in such a light. NSAC Executive Director Bob Bennett and chairman Francisco Aguilar weren’t available for comment when contacted for a reaction to Jones’ statement.

Jones, who’s attempting his eighth title defense against Cormier at the same venue where they brawled, is a centerpiece of Reebok’s new deal with the UFC.

For more on UFC 182, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.