UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones has pleaded guilty to a DWI charge in New Mexico and been punished with a one-year supervised probation period.
The troubled star agreed a plea deal with prosecutors which will see him spend 96 hours in a community custody program, do 48 hours of community servive as well as a 90-day outpatient treatment program via video conferencing.
The 32-year-old was arrested on March 26 in Albuquerque, New Mexico after police responded to calls about gunfire.
He denied firing a gun, performed poorly on field sobriety tests and tested over twice the legal limit on a breathalyser.
Jones was consequently charged with negligent use of a deadly weapon and possession of an open container, in addition to the DWI. It’s unclear if the weapons charge was dropped as part of his plea bargain.
At the time of his arrest, an officer’s bodycam footage saw him tell police:
“I literally just got stir-crazy… I just wanted to have a drive. This is my first drive in 2 weeks. I saw these homeless guys. I was being nice to them, having a conversation with them, treating them like humans.”
With this not being the first incident involving him in a car, it’s also being reported he must also put an ignition interlock system in his vehicles and be forced to pass a breathalyser test before being able to drive.
In a statement, officials said: “His attorney and Mr. Jones have been made aware that if he fails to do this, the State will seek to impose the balance of any jail time without regard for any exceptional circumstances.”
Jones released a statement after news of the plea became public, apologising for his latest indiscretions:
Unsurprisingly, news of Jones’ latest misdemeanour hasn’t been well-received – by many of his fighting peers, critics and MMA fans worldwide.
His last fight was on February 8, where he prevailed via unanimous decision against Dominick Reyes to once again retain his title in a closely-contested battle.
Although the coronavirus pandemic has dramatically halted sport worldwide in recent weeks, there are calls to strip him of the belt having broken the law under lockdown.
Jones has a history of substance issues, including multiple positive tests for cocaine in 2014.
Mo and Sports 