The downward spiral in the career of UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones hit face first into the pavement on Sunday afternoon, and it might take more than a $25,000 fine to get him out of this mess.
MMAFighting’s Marc Raimondi reported that an off-duty police officer in Albuquerque, New Mexico, identified Jones at the scene of three-car accident. Jones allegedly ran a red light, which resulted in the pileup. Witnesses say Jones returned to the vehicle for a handful of cash before fleeing on foot.
Jones turned himself in on Monday and posted bail immediately, when he learned he would be facing a felony charge for leaving the scene of an accident involving death or personal injuries. Vanessa Sonnenberg, a 20-year-old pregnant woman, suffered a broken arm in the collision.
Many of Jones’ peers took to Twitter to give their take on the ongoing situation involving the pound-for-pound king.
This incident comes only a few months after Jones tested positive for cocaine, leading up to his title defense against Daniel Cormier at UFC 182. The 27-year-old champion’s punishment for violating the UFC’s code of conduct policy was a slap-on-the-wrist fine of $25,000.
There were no grounds for the Nevada State Athletic Commission to step in and hand down a heftier fine or suspension since recreational drugs aren’t prohibited out of competition.
During an exclusive interview with Fox Sports’ Charissa Thompson, Jones claimed he voluntarily checked into a rehab facility for a 24-hour evaluation, before being released into out-patient treatment. He also admitted to having experimented with cocaine use in the past.
For now, Jones is still slated to defend his title against Anthony “Rumble” Johnson in the main event of UFC 187. A win would put him one title defense away from tying Anderson Silva’s all-time record for most consecutive defenses in UFC history.
Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He also is the MMA writer for FanRag Sports and co-founder of The MMA Bros.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com