It looked as though former UFC champion Jon Jones might find himself in trouble with the law once again after a recent incident in Albuquerque, N.M.
The 28-year-old was cited for driving without a license, registration or proof insurance by the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department on Jan. 31.
KRQE News 13 in Albuquerque first reported the news on Monday. Jones is set to appear in traffic court Wednesday.
Jones pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident involving injury last year. In October he reached a plea agreement that resulted in him being sentenced to 18 months of supervised probation, but he avoided jail time and a felony conviction was kept off his permanent record.
If it was determined Jones had violated his probation with this latest incident it could have resulted in some potentially serious ramifications. According to MMAFighting, however, the Bernalillo County district attorney won’t file a formal probation violation against Jones. MMAJunkie reports that Jones is licensed and insured and that he was pulled over for a minor traffic violation.
This news comes two days after the UFC announced Jones would take on current light-heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier in the main event of UFC 197 on April 23 in Las Vegas. There is no word yet on whether or not this incident could impact his anticipated rematch with Cormier, however it appears highly unlikely it will. Prior to his plea agreement, the UFC suspended Jones indefinitely and stripped him his 205-pound title. Cormier won the vacant belt while Jones was out.
“We’ve made it clear to Jon that this new opportunity to compete in UFC is a privilege and not a right, and that there are significant expectations we have regarding his conduct moving forward,” UFC chairman and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta said in a statement when the UFC reinstated Jones. “We’re happy to read and see reports that he has embraced the terms of his plea agreement and is using this experience to grow and develop as a person.”
This is the latest in a series of vehicular incidents Jones has been involved in recent years.
In 2011, he received a ticket in Albuquerque for driving on a suspended license. In 2012, he avoided jail time despite being arrested on a Driving While Intoxicated charge after crashing his Bentley into a utility pole after a night of partying in his home state of New York.
As of Monday evening the UFC had not commented on this latest incident involving Jones.
Jones and Cormier fought at UFC 182 last January with Jones earning a unanimous decision victory.