Jones (photo) is now legally able to fight, but now the decision depends on the UFC. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
After months of much speculation, the case of the former UFC champion Jon Jones, who was arrested in the first semester after being involved in a traffic accident and fleeing without providing assistance to the victim, reached his conclusion this Tuesday (29). At a hearing held in the city of Albuquerque (USA), Jones pleaded guilty in the episode and escaped prison, but will spend the next 18 months on probation and will have to teach classes in children's groups.
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“I am here to take full responsibility for what happened and my actions. I hope you can give me an opportunity to redeem myself,” Jones, who said he was “ashamed” by what happened, told the judge in court. With the agreement, Jones had the charges dropped and was not convicted of a crime, but he will be subjected to random blood tests and a breathalyzer and must provide information about his whereabouts to the courts in the coming months.
The former champion also released a long statement in which he said he was sorry for everything and apologized. “After today's court decision, I am very happy to be able to put this incident behind us. My actions have caused pain and inconvenience to the lives of others and I am deeply sorry for that and accept full responsibility. I have worked hard during this time away from the sport to grow and mature as a man and ensure nothing like this happens again. I learned a lot from this situation and I am determined to emerge a better person because of it. I apologize to those who were affected by my actions in this incident and hope to have the opportunity to redeem myself in the eyes of the public, my family and friends, as well as my supporters. I'm not sure what the future holds for me, but I plan to continue to do the work necessary to be productive and successful in every aspect of my life,” Jones said.
Considered by many one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time, Jon Jones has a professional MMA record of 21 wins and just one loss, due to disqualification after an illegal blow – in a result that is highly contested to this day. After the court decision, the former light heavyweight champion, who holds the record for consecutive title defenses in the category, is legally free to return to action, but his return to the octagon is still conditional on a favorable decision from the UFC.
The Jones case
On April 26, Jones ran a red light in a rented SUV and struck a car driven by a pregnant woman. Afterwards, the fighter fled the scene on foot, briefly returning to his car to retrieve a quantity of money that was there. Police found drugs at the scene, and Jones was arrested shortly thereafter. The UFC then stripped him of his light heavyweight belt and suspended him indefinitely.
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