Jones (photo) is a former UFC light heavyweight champion. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
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Considered the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world and one of the greatest of all time in MMA, Jon Jones Lately he has been drawing more attention for his problems outside the octagon than for his achievements in the sport. The American, who already lost the light heavyweight belt due to a traffic accident, was once again involved in controversy this week, when he argued with a police officer and ended up arrested in the city of Albuquerque (USA).
Unfortunately, the controversies surrounding Jones' name are not new. In the past, the fighter has been involved in traffic accidents, fights with a rival and even the use of illicit drugs. Therefore, the SUPER FIGHTS List below the main problems that had “Bones” as the protagonist.
New Bentley accident
In 2012, when he was already UFC light heavyweight champion, the fighter was tried and lost his license for driving drunk and crashing his car, a Bentley, which he had “presented himself” with shortly before, against a pole.
Fight and threats to Cormier
Jon Jones e Daniel Cormier they were scheduled to face each other in 2014 and a simple promotional event at the MGM Grand Garden, in Las Vegas (USA), ended up becoming the talk of the month of August of that year in Ultimate. After facing each other, the rivals started to fight on stage, even knocking down manager Dave Sholler and hitting a Brazilian journalist with a thrown shoe during the confusion.
The controversy did not stop there and, during an interview on the North American TV channel ESPN, Jones and Cormier were isolated and gave an interview in different rooms to avoid another fight. The distance was not enough to avoid the heated climate between them and Jones even threatened Cormier with death, saying he would “literally kill him” if DC laid hands on him.
Positive drug test for cocaine
A few days after winning Daniel Cormier At UFC 182, in January 2015, Jones went public and announced that he had been caught in a surprise drug test for cocaine use. In the examination, carried out on December 4, 2014 by the Nevada Athletic Commission, the substance benzoylmethylecgonine was detected in the fighter's body. However, as it is a substance that is not banned outside the competition period (when the exam was carried out) by WADA, the World Anti-Doping Agency, Jones was not banned from fighting at UFC 182, nor did the incident change the result of his fight against Daniel Cormier.
Shortly after the announcement, Jones sent a statement to the North American website “Yahoo Sports” in which he took a position on the matter. “With the support of my family, I entered a drug treatment clinic. I want to apologize to my fiancée, my children, my mother, father and brothers for the mistake I made. I also want to apologize to the UFC, my coaches, my sponsors and to my fans, who are just as important. I am taking this treatment very seriously. Therefore, I would appreciate it if I had privacy at this moment with my family”, said the fighter, who spent a night in a rehabilitation clinic after the episode.
Traffic accident in Albuquerque
Early in the morning of April 27th, Jon Jones crossed a red light on an avenue in Albuquerque and hit a car driven by a pregnant woman. The fighter fled the scene on foot, returning a little later to get money from the car, without helping the victim, who broke an arm. Furthermore, portions of marijuana were found in the car driven by the fighter.
Jones turned himself in to police a few days later and was released on bail. Due to the episode, the UFC decided to remove the belt from Jon Jones, who was scheduled to face Anthony Johnson, and suspend him indefinitely. Jones was only released by Ultimate to return after a preliminary hearing in which a legal agreement was reached between him and the victim, in addition to the provision of community services by the athlete.
Driving without a license and documents
Shortly after being released to fight in the UFC, Jon Jones he once again appeared in the police news in the city of Albuquerque, in the United States, where he lives and trains. The former light heavyweight champion was caught on January 31st driving without a license, without car documents and without mandatory insurance. The court released Jones from any punishment, but, as the athlete was still on probation, he received a reprimand.
Alleged “split” and new arrest
One month before his return to the octagon, against Daniel Cormier next April, Jon Jones He was stopped while driving, became angry with the accusations and hurled insults at a police officer in Albuquerque, in the US state of New Mexico.
In a video that circulated on the internet, the fighter laughs and says that the accusations made by the police officer were not true: “I know, with absolute certainty, that I wasn't pulling a fast one”, he said, in a mocking tone.
Jones explained that he was actually just “making noise” with his car to please fans who greeted him at a traffic light. The fighter, however, received five fines, including for having an excessively noisy exhaust, using an illegible license plate, disrespecting the banners painted on the ground and reckless driving. This time, the Albuquerque court considered that the infractions represented non-compliance with probation, and, therefore, Jones was arrested.
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