Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is once again in trouble with the law. According to a report by KRQE News 13, a news station based out of Jones’ hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Jones is expected back in court this Wednesday, Feb. 10, due to a traffic citation for driving without a license, insurance or registration.
Update (February 8, 3:02 PM EST):
Jones’ PR team said the following to MMAJunkie.com:
“He will be in traffic court on Wednesday like everyone else that gets a speeding ticket. Nothing to read into here but he was speeding. He is fully licensed and insured.”
There’s obviously an important distinction there, when it comes to Jones driving without a license and Jones being an unlicensed driver. If Jones’ lone offense was speeding, then he could very well come out of this no worse for wear.
— End of Update —
You can watch KRQE News 13’s report here:
While Bones is already regarded by many as one of the greatest fighters in MMA history—combining a long, strong frame, sharp mind and unwavering mental toughness—his in-competition accomplishments have long been counterbalanced by out-of-competition behavioral issues.
In 2012, he plead guilty to DWI charges after he crashed his Bentley into a telephone pole and in January 2015, it was revealed an out-of-competition drug test was flagged for benzoylecgonine, a cocaine metabolite.
His most notable out-of-the-cage incident, however, occurred in April 2015, when he fled from the scene of a three-car accident after he allegedly crashed a rented SUV into the side of a vehicle being driven by a pregnant woman. Jones would plead guilty and avoid any jail time (instead receiving 18 months probation) but was stripped of the UFC light heavyweight title and suspended indefinitely by the promotion. He will attempt to retake the title from current UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier at UFC 197 in April.
Though a simple traffic citation isn’t necessarily newsworthy on its own, there are concerns about whether this could impact Jones’ probation.
“Our office has the discretion to pursue a revocation of probation if an alleged incident arises to the level of a substantial violation of probation,” said Kayla Anderson, a public information officer of the Second Judicial District Attorney’s office, in a statement to Fox Sports’ Damon Martin. She continued, “as of today, we do not have enough information about the 1/31/16 incident to make that determination, but we will examine the matter.”
Neither the UFC nor Jones’ team have made statements yet regarding the case. This post will be updated when they are released.
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