Jon Jones out on bond, faces felony charge

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UFC Light Heavyweight champion Jon Jones is out on bond after he turned himself in to authorities Monday night. Jones was allegedly involved in a hit-and-run in Albuquerque, N.M., and is facing a felony charge.

ESPN has more:

Albuquerque police spokesman Tanner Tixier confirmed to ESPN.com that the 25-year-old pregnant woman driving the car Jones allegedly struck in southeastern Albuquerque suffered a broken arm. According to the arrest warrant, the woman also suffered a wrist injury and is scheduled for an ultrasound Tuesday.

Simon Drobik, a spokesman from the Albuquerque Police Department, originally said the police were only looking for Jones for questioning and could not confirm whether he was involved. However, that all changed late Sunday night.

Once Jones was identified as the primary suspect, a warrant was issued for his arrest, with Jones eventually turning himself in. 

Drobik added that the woman injured in the accident was taken to hospital with non life-threatening injuries. It was initially reported that Jones would be facing misdemeanor charges for the incident, but with the female victim suffering a broken arm, Jones now faces multiple felony charges, according to Okamoto.

An off-duty police officer identified Jones as he was fleeing the scene of the three-car accident on foot. The crash sent the woman to a local hospital for "precautionary reasons," Albuquerque Police Department spokesman Tanner Tixier told ESPN on Monday.

According to a police report obtained by ESPN, witnesses saw a man fitting Jones's description leave the scene of the accident, return to the rental car to retrieve a "large handful of cash," then flee the scene.

Tixier added that a marijuana pipe with marijuana inside was found in the car.

Members of the Albuquerque Police Department attempted to contact Jones at his residence Sunday but were unsuccessful. Jones is a full-time resident of Albuquerque, the base of his longtime gym, Jackson-Winkeljohn MMA Academy.

The UFC released a statement Sunday night stating the organization is aware of the incident in Albuquerque.

We are aware that the Albuquerque Police Department is interested in speaking to Jon Jones regarding his possible involvement in a motor vehicle accident. We are in the process of gathering facts and will reserve further comment until more information is available.

Jones is scheduled to face Anthony Johnson in Las Vegas on May 23 at UFC 187.

The Digest

Jon Jones facing felony charges following hit and run

by theScore Staff
Joe Camporeale / USA TODAY Sports

UFC superstar Jon Jones is out on bond and facing felony charges after allegedly fleeing the scene of a car accident in Albuquerque, N.M.

Need to Know

  • The UFC acted swiftly, stripping Jones of his light heavyweight title and suspending him indefinitely. 
  • A contrite Jones took to Twitter to express his remorse "to everyone I've let down."
  • Malki Kawa, Jones' manager, said that the former light heavyweight champ may never return to the Octagon and puts the chances of a Jones return at "50-50."
  • On top of stripping Jones of his title, the UFC scrubbed him from their official pound-for-pound rankings.
  • UFC president Dana White was blunt in his assessment of the situation, saying "Jon's had a lot of chances. This one was his last chance."

Further Reading

  • MMAFighting.com's Chuck Mindenhall discussed the disturbing pattern of behavior that resulted in Jones' precipitous fall from grace: "The the fact that he supposedly came back to grab a fistful of cash from the abandoned rental car is the reddest of red flags. If true, that was a disarming look at Jones’ instincts. That was the glimpse at the sad place Jones, in his greatness, has ascended to. That is the sum of his experience." [MMAFighting]
  • With Jones needing to do a complete reevaluation of his life, Sherdog.com's Greg Savage suggests he eliminate the "yes men" from his existence: "At the end of the day, the biggest concern for Jones and his people has to be the health and welfare of the man himself. There is no way he is acting this way and doing the things he has been doing unless he is surrounded by yes men. He needs at least one person he is willing to listen to that will give it to him straight." [Sherdog]
  • Elias Cepeda of FOX Sports writes about the now wide-open 205-pound division: "That division (bantamweight) has moved on (from Dominick Cruz), and so too would light heavyweight, eventually. If that happens, there are many top fighters who are good enough to become champion." [FOX Sports]

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