In the wee hours of the morning today (Mon., July 22, 2019), news broke that UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was in more legal trouble.
Jones’ was facing a bench warrant for an alleged battery of a waitress at an Albuquerque, New Mexico, strip club. He allegedly slapped the woman. He was also accused of forcing her onto his lap and kissing her neck against her will. Jones’ spokesperson James Hallinan soon responded that the allegations were utterly false.
Jones was apparently uninformed about his court date for the battery charge until local station KRQE News 13 brought it to his attention. He paid his $300 cash bail to get the warrant resolved. “Bones” doesn’t appear to be too worried about it either, as he issued his own response downplaying the incident:
“I’m definitely not in any trouble my friend, don’t be so quick to believe everything you read on the Internet.”
We’ll have to wait and see if that indeed turns out to be the case. But for now, much of the internet is predictably going to pre-judge the situation. Not surprisingly, UFC welterweight Colby Covington is one of those people. Carrying a long-running beef with “Bones” dating back to their days as college roommates, ‘Chaos’ posted his own sarcastic view of Jones’ latest legal charge:
“A lot of pundits trying to tarnish the good name of my buddy @jonnybones. Can we take a moment & acknowledge: A) At least this time the woman he hit wasn’t pregnant B) Jon was mature enough not to strike her with a car at high speed while intoxicated. Hes making progress people!”
Another Legal Issue For Jones
In a certain sick sense, Covington is right. Jones did not reach the level of shock value his April 2015 arrest for a hit-and-run incident did. But if that’s the bar we’re comparing any of his present and future troubles to, well, it’s a bar that’s set far too low.
Much of the MMA world is scratching their heads at why Jones would even put his lucrative career at risk by finding himself in a situation such as this one. He only just returned from a controversial PED-related suspension last December. That was simply the latest in a long, concerning, and now growing list of outside-the-cage troubles that have hindered Jones’ otherwise legendary career.
It may be an understatement to say he would almost assuredly by the greatest MMA fighter of all-time without them. Yet he has repeatedly found himself in those spots. He now has again, and now he’s going to pay the price in the court of public opinion – again.
As for actual fighting, Jones was last seen outlasting Thiago Santos by split decision at July 6’s UFC 239. It was a close win for Jones that was only made more questionable by the fact doctors couldn’t even figure out how the injured ‘Marreta’ even fought. That fight was a bit sobering for “Bones” and his fans.
But he could be gearing up for yet another legal fight – the kind of bout that has done far more damage to Jones than any of his actual opponents.
Are you at all surprised by Jones’ latest outside-the-cage charge?
