UFC heavyweight world champion Jon Jones allegedly threatened to kill an anti-doping agent last month.
According to a report from ABQRAW News, the Albuquerque Police Department responded to a call after a person working for Drug Free Sport International, the UFC’s new drug testing partner as of January 1, was trying to obtain a drug test from the MMA star. Jones is said to have been “extremely intoxicated” during the interaction and threatened to “kill” the tester. ‘Bones’ is also accused of snatching the representative’s phone at one point.
Per the report, the incident occurred in late March, but the tester did not report the incident to authorities in Albuquerque until Friday, April 5. As of this writing, no criminal summons or charges related to the altercation have been filed. APD is currently investigating the alleged criminal act.
Jon Jones’ lengthy history with the long arm of the law
Jon Jones became the youngest UFC champion in the history of the promotion when he stopped Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua at UFC 128 to win the light heavyweight title.
Since then, his iconic combat sports career has been routinely overshadowed by his run-ins with the law.
In 2015, Jones tested positive for cocaine during an out-of-competition drug test after his UFC 182 win over Daniel Cormier. Jones kept his title but was fined $25,000 for violating the UFC’s Athlete Code and Conduct policy. Later that same year, Jones turned himself in to the Albuquerque PD following a hit-and-run incident involving a pregnant woman. Jones faced no jail time, instead being sentenced to 18 months of supervised probation. He was also stripped of his 205-pound title by the promotion.
The following year, he was scheduled to headline UFC 200 in a rematch with Daniel Cormier but was pulled from the bout after being flagged for an anti-doping violation. Subsequently, he was suspended for one year by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
In 2021, Jon Jones was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame for his legendary encounter with Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165. That same night, he was arrested in Las Vegas and charged with misdemeanor battery and tampering with a vehicle following a domestic dispute with his then-fiancée Jessie Moses.
“Bro, hang me, hurt me, and kill me. What did I do? A Black man can’t drink? Getting elected into the Hall of Fame and this is what I got?” Jones says in a video clip of the arrest before headbutting a police vehicle. (h/t DailyMail).
Following a three-year-long layoff from the Octagon, Jon Jones returned at UFC 285 last year and promptly dispatched Ciryl Gane via submission to win the vacant heavyweight title. He was scheduled for his first defense in November, but a torn pectoral injury forced him to bow out of his bout with former two-time titleholder Stipe Miocic. ‘Bones’ has remained adamant that his fight with Miocic will go down later this year.
The promotion has since crowned an interim heavyweight champion in Tom Aspinall. The UK-based star scored a vicious 69-second knockout of Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 to win his first world title.