UFC Light Heavyweight champion Jon Jones who was arrested last Thursday morning in Albuquerque for D.W.I, failure to provide insurance, having an open container and reckless use of a handgun has struck a deal with the district attorney’s office which will keep the champ out of jail. Jones must serve four days of house arrest, one year of supervised probation, 90 days of outpatient therapy, and will be fined $500. He will avoid jail so long as he satisfies the terms of his deal. He will also be required to wear an ankle monitor and any vehicle he will drive must be equipped with an ignition interlock device a.ka on onboard breathalyzer (to test for alcohol) before the car will start.
Jones who has had issues in the past involving alcohol and driving broke down in tears during his arrest which was captured on APD body-cam video and had remained silent until today when he issued a statement through a representative.
“While we all work to understand and cope with stress and uncertainties surrounding the current state of our world, I want to express how truly disappointed I am that I have become the source of a negative headline again, especially during these trying times,” Jones said. “I am disappointed for letting down the people I care about the most – my family, friends and my fans. This morning I entered into a plea deal with the Albuquerque DA’s office. I accept full responsibility for my actions, and I know that I have some personal work to do to which involves the unhealthy relationship I have with alcohol.
“I have dedicated so much time and energy to improve my community, and I will not allow this personal setback to hinder my work within the community when we need it most. I truly appreciate the support I have received from the community of Albuquerque and all my fans around the world. I very much look forward to putting this behind me. Thank you all for your continued love and support and please take care of yourselves.”
Jones addressed his issue with alcohol, which he has done in the past, understandably some are taking his statement with a grain of salt.
With this quick resolution to what could have been a bigger problem for Jones, he may just keep the belt around his waist, and quite possibly suffer no major sanction or punishment from the UFC, although this is not his first time running up against the UFC’s code of conduct policy, the swift settlement may work in the champ’s favor when the UFC decides how to deal with Jones, especially since his punishment from the plea deal is light as long as Jones abides by the deal.
We can all only hope that this will be the last incident involving Jones, driving, and alcohol that we have to discuss. Dealing with an alcohol addiction or any type of addictive behavior is not easy, especially when the person suffering hasn’t truly decided that a change is necessary. Let’s all hope for the sake of his family, friends, teammates but more importantly for Jones himself that the change will happen and he can have a happy and healthy relationship with himself.
Christopher James has been in the MMA industry for 15 years, Working as a ring announcer for promotions like the XFC, Island Fights, Combat Night and Fight Nights Global during his career. Chris’ love for the sport and the athletes that partake in it led him to writing and doing face to face interviews with the athletes he admired and respected. Chris isn’t conventional by any stretch of the imagination, he has his own style, and takes pride in not being a “cookie-cutter” member of the media. Unique and sometimes controversial takes are what he brings to the table, forcing folks to think a little differently about the world of MMA. He also has a love for music as he has been a dj for 25 years and his love for music gets brought to the MMA world when he gets his guests to sing on his weekly show Cage Side with Christopher James which can be seen Wednesday nights on FACEBOOK LIVE, and soon via podcast.