According to TMZ, UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones was arrested for DUI during the early hours of May 19, after crashing his Bentley into a pole in Binghamton, NY. Jones wasn't seriously hurt in the accident, but he was taken into custody by officers who arrived at the scene. He made bail a few hours later.
"I can confirm that Jon Jones was arrested early this morning on suspicion of DUI," Jones' manager, Malki Kawa, said in a statement. "While the facts of this situation are still being gathered and situated, First Round Management fully supports Jon and we are asking for fans and media to respect the privacy of Jon and his family during this time."
The youngest champion in the history of the UFC, Jones has always kept a squeaky clean image, so it's a little shocking to see him get in any kind of trouble. Given the fact this will be Jones' first brush with the law, the chances of him serving jail time are pretty low, and he'll probably get off with a fine and possibly probation.
Still, UFC president Dana White will have some work to do, to preserve the image of a young man many consider to be the future of MMA.
Jones isn't the first UFC fighter to be arrested for DUI, and it's highly unlikely that his current situation will have any serious effects on his MMA career. At only 24 years old, Jones will get some leeway from the fans, and I'm pretty sure the UFC will stand firmly behind him.
Jones is currently scheduled to defend his light-heavyweight title against Dan Henderson at UFC 151, set for Sept. 1 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV. He'll probably still be dealing with the fallout of his legal trouble when the fight takes place, and it'll be interesting to see how he deals with the extra pressure heading into his showdown against the former Strikeforce champion.
David is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and boxing practitioner that has watched and studied MMA for the past 7 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.
Sources:
TMZ Sports, "Jon Jones Arrested for DUI"
Josh Gross, "UFC champion Jon Jones arrested"
Fight and fighter information from ESPN.com
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