Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
While many fighters have come down hard on Jon Jones, Ronaldo Souza is showing some compassion.
Jon Jones is on the wrong side of the law again, and unsurprisingly, his peers and fans are coming down hard on him for it. Jones was arrested in downtown Albuquerque on DWI and firearms charges early Thursday morning with a half-drank bottle of Jorge Masvidal’s mezcal in the vehicle, along with a loaded gun and a shell casing.
As mentioned, the reaction to the arrest has obviously been rather negative. A few fighters have taken up for him though, including women’s flyweight champ Valentina Shevchenko.
Another is perennial middleweight contender Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza. He took to social media to plead for more understanding from everyone:
Everyone is talking about what Jon Jones did.
If he did it he’s already paying the price.
Nobody knows about the battles he fights inside. Have more empathy for people.#bestrongchamp— Ronaldo Jacaré (@JacareMMA) March 28, 2020
Jones is reportedly scheduled for a court date on April 8th following the arrest. He has not issued a statement as of yet, but the UFC has said that they are “gathering additional information” on the situation.
Jacare is scheduled to face Uriah Hall at UFC 249 on April 18th, but that card is looking more and more unlikely to be taking place. Jones is coming off a close win over Dominick Reyes to defend his UFC light heavyweight championship. However, in the wake of the arrest, both Reyes and Thiago Santos are lobbying for Jones to be stripped and for them to face off in a battle for the vacant title.