Former UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] was arrested Friday morning just hours after his Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Las Vegas.
At 5:45 a.m. local time, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department arrested Jones on two charges: misdemeanor battery domestic violence and felony injuring and tampering with a vehicle, a department spokesperson confirmed to MMA Junkie on Friday after an initial report by ESPN.
Further details of Jones’ arrest aren’t clear at this time, though MMA Junkie has filed requests to obtain a police report and additional information.
Clark County inmate records show that Jones was in custody and set to make his first court appearance Saturday.
Jones said on Friday that he was in one of the best headspaces of his career while on the red carpet speaking to reporters, including MMA Junkie, prior to the induction of his UFC 165 fight vs. Alexander Gustafsson. In what was his first UFC media appearance in months, Jones revealed his training schedule was more consistent than ever ahead of his anticipated 2022 heavyweight debut.
“Right now, for the first time in my whole career, I’m actually training consistently,” Jones said. “… I feel in better shape now than I ever did before. I’m sleeping better, eating better, drinking less – alcohol – and I feel really good.”
Jon Jones says he's training consistently "for the first time in my whole career." 😳
Full interview: https://t.co/KwmWxsUGOg pic.twitter.com/uQdauVCTRm
— MMA Junkie (@MMAjunkie) September 24, 2021
Jones is no stranger to run-ins with the law. In 2012, he avoided jail time on a misdemeanor DWI charge caused by running his Bentley into a utility pole in upstate New York. Jones’ next major incident came in April 2015, when he was involved in a hit-and-run that left a pregnant woman with a broken arm and resulted in him being stripped of his UFC title.
Although Jones avoided a jail sentence, he got 18 months of supervised probation and had to make 72 charity or youth outreach appearances. He completed the work, but in March 2016 had a highly publicized traffic stop in which he engaged in a verbal back-and-forth with an Albuquerque, N.M., police officer after being accused of drag racing.
In September 2019, Jones pleaded no contest to a battery charge for allegedly slapping a waitress at a strip club, choking her, kissing her and touching her after she asked him to stop. The 90-day deferred sentence included an order to avoid arrest and stay away from alcohol.
In March 2020, Jones was arrested at 4:43 a.m. local time in his home city of Albuquerque, on charges of driving under the influence, negligent use of a firearm, possession of an open container, and no proof of insurance.
Jones, 34, does not currently have a fight on the books. Recent months with the UFC have been testy, but Jones voiced optimism the two parties would come to terms for his heavyweight debut in the second quarter of 2022. He last competed in February 2020 and won a unanimous decision over Dominick Reyes at UFC 247. He later vacated his light heavyweight title in anticipation of his move to heavyweight.