The former UFC champion may have to wait until late January to see if his charges of domestic violence will proceed to a trial.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was arrested in September and charged with domestic battery after a purported incident at Caesar’s Palace. That incident occurred the day after Jones was inducted into the fight wing of the UFC Hall of Fame.
Police were called to the casino resort after one of Jones’ children asked a security guard to call 911. On the scene police discovered Jones’ fiancee with blood on her lip, chin and sweatshirt. A police report states that she said Jones had gotten “a little bit” physical with her, but did not strike her.
Jones was booked on a domestic violence charge and was also accused of damaging a police vehicle, by headbutting it.
Since then Jones has cited alcohol as the culprit for the incident and sworn that he will stay sober.
MMA Fighting reports that prosecutors in charge of this case have been granted more time to file a criminal complaint against Jones. This is the second time they have been granted additional time to progress this case towards a possible trial. They are now expected to make a decision ahead of a court hearing scheduled for January 31, 2022.
If prosecutors do not file charges, Jones will not face any legal punishment stemming from the arrest. Prosecutors often drop cases of this nature when the involved parties (such as victims and witnesses) decline to cooperate with the prosecution.
Jones’ September arrest was just the latest in a long string of controversies.
One of the more notable incidents that has overshadowed his athletic career is the 2015 hit-and-run that left a pregnant woman with a broken arm. That incident lead to Jones being stripped of his UFC light heavyweight title. Jones plead guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and was sentenced to 18 months of supervised probation.
Last year Jones was arrested on suspicion of negligent use of a firearm and driving while under the influence. Jones accepted a plea deal in this case and received four days of house arrest, one year of supervised probation, 90 days of outpatient therapy and 48 hours of community service.
In 2019 Jones was charged with battery after he was accused of slapping and restraining a cocktail waitress at a strip club. Jones pleaded no contest to those charges and was given a 90-day deferred sentence where he was ordered to avoid arrest and not consume drugs or alcohol over that period.
Jones vacated his UFC lightweight title in 2020 and expressed his intention to compete in the UFC’s heavyweight division. He has not appeared in the UFC since February 2020.