While most of the planet remains on lockdown, Jon Jones has managed to land in hot water again. On Thursday, Cageside Press was able to verify via court records that Jones has been arrested and charged with several offenses, including Aggravated DWI, Negligent Use of a Firearm, and Possession of an Open Container (of alcohol, while in a vehicle).
Jones, who was arrested early Thursday morning, around 1AM, was also charged with driving with no proof of insurance. The arresting location put him at the Library Bar and Grill in Albuquerque, N.M., though whether he actually attended that establishment is not known.
What is known is that police officers responded to a call of shots fired in the area, only to find the UFC champion in a vehicle displaying obvious signs of intoxication. Per a report by KOAT 7 Action News, Jones admitted to police that he had been driving and intended to do so again. He claimed to know nothing of the shots fired, but officers later found a black handgun inside the vehicle, under the driver’s seat. They also recovered an open bottle of liquor.
Jones performed poorly on a sobriety test administered by police and consented to a breathalyzer test, which he failed. The fighter clocked in at over twice the legal limit in New Mexico.
An additional report by MMA Fighting cited Albuquerque Police, who confirmed ballistics testing will be performed on the handgun found in Jones’ possession. “As part of the investigation into this incident, our Gun Violence Reduction Unit will test the firearm and bullet casing to determine whether the gun has been used in any crimes,” Gilbert Gallegos, communications director for the Albuquerque Police said in a statement to the website. “Reducing gun violence in Albuquerque is our top priority.”
This is far from Jones’ first run-in with the law. The troubled champion was hit with a DUI charge in 2012, and was arrested after fleeing the scene of an accident in 2015, where the fighter’s vehicle hit a car driven by a pregnant woman. Last year, Jones settled a battery case stemming from an incident at a strip club, accepting a plea deal.
In 2014, he failed a drug test for benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine. As it was an out-of-competition drug test, and cocaine is only banned in-competition, Jones was never punished. However, a history of performance enhancing drugs has also dogged him. He tested positive for clomiphene and letrozole prior to UFC 200, which saw him stripped of the interim light heavyweight title. After defeating Daniel Cormier at UFC 214, he tested positive for Turinabol, had his win overturned, and the light heavyweight championship stripped.
Jones also had the light heavyweight title stripped from him in 2015 after his hit and run incident, making him the only fighter in UFC history to be stripped of three championship titles: the light heavyweight title (twice) and interim light heavyweight title (once).
Jones (26-1, 1NC) most recently fought in February at UFC 247, defeating Dominick Reyes by unanimous decision. The decision was questioned by many fans, given the event was plagued by bad judging. The 32-year old does not currently have a fight pending.
