Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Jon Jones has done it again.
The oft-troubled UFC Light Heavyweight champion is back in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Jones was arrested on Thursday morning after police found him drunk in his car with a half empty bottle of Jorge Masvidal’s mescal and a freshly fired handgun. Criminal charges filed against him this time: aggravated driving while intoxicated (the ‘aggravated’ bit means his breathalyzer test was above .16), negligent use of a deadly weapon, and possession of an open container.
If you had made a bet that it was only a matter of time before Jones slipped up and self-owned himself again, you’d be collecting some money right now. No time for regret, though: let’s focus instead on future bets that can be placed around Jon Jones’ latest bad behavior.
BetOnline.ag has released a list of prop bets surrounding the latest “Bones” news, and there’s some interesting assumptions being spelled out in the odds.
Will Jon Jones be arrested again in 2020?
Yes -150 (Bet $150 to win $100)
No +110 (Bet $100 to win $110)
Will Jon Jones be stripped of title belt before the end of 2020?
Yes -550 (Bet $550 to win $100)
No +325 (Bet $100 to win $325)
Will Jones spend a night in jail before the end of 2020?
Yes -140 (Bet $140 to win $100)
No +100 (Bet $100 to win $100)
Will Jones fight again in UFC again before the end of 2020?
Yes +300 (Bet $100 to win $300)
No -500 (Bet $500 to win $100)
We’re not surprised the bookies are leaning toward Jones spending at least one night in jail over all of this. They also slightly favor Jones getting arrested again before the end of 2020. Both lines are pretty tight, so it’s not a huge statement on likelihood either way. But here’s where the odds get a bit crazy: There’s -500 odds on Jones *NOT* fighting again in UFC this year, and -550 odds that Jones *WILL* have his belt stripped before the year is up.
Even for somewhat silly prop bets like this, odds are carefully calculated by knowledgeable bookies to avoid the sportsbook taking a bath. Does the bookie behind these odds know something about this latest Jon Jones snafu that we don’t? Was Jones really just driving around to try and clear his head, or was something else afoot? Did he drunkenly fire his gun off into the night as some extremely reckless drunks are known to do, or did something more serious go down?
When Jones tested positive for cocaine in 2015, he claimed it was bad luck — a silly one time mistake! He doesn’t even like coke … it’s just not his thing! But a lengthy Deadspin feature on Jones called bullshit on that assertion, painting his drug use and party habits as one of the worst kept secrets in Albuquerque.
Specifics weren’t given, but his use was described as “a problem“ by unnamed members of his inner circle. Does he still have a problem? A lot of his poor decisions certainly make more sense if you factor drug use to the equation. Maybe that’s the equation the bookie used to come up with such unfavorable odds for Jones’ future.
Or maybe they flubbed the lines and “Jones fights in 2020” at +300 and “Jones keeps his belt” at +325 are easy money. Worth considering both possibilities if you plan on putting any serious cash down.