Early on Thursday morning, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was arrested for aggravated DWI, negligent use of a firearm, and possession of an open container.
As always, the MMA community was quick to react to this major news on social media.
See some of the first reactions to Jon Jones’ latest legal trouble below:
Obviously as a recovery/addiction advocate I sympathize with Jon here, but at the same time at one point or another its black and white… either learn from your mistakes and set a good example, especially with the size of the platform he has, or fuck it all up… https://t.co/nP9tHg5yCS
— Jared Gordon (@JFlashGordonMMA) March 26, 2020
For the life of me I can’t figure out why he doesn’t hire a buddy and pay him $50k a year to be his driver https://t.co/VcTyztKiVG
— Ben Askren (@Benaskren) March 26, 2020
Jon Jones *allegedly* driving around firing off rounds with an open bottle of Masvidal’s new mezcal during a pandemic. You can’t even write this shit.
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) March 26, 2020
just once, why can’t the headlines be something like “UFC Fighter Jon Jones Saves Kitten Orphanage from Crooked Landlord” pic.twitter.com/jxF4L8ixKs
— Jon Jones (@jonjones) March 26, 2020
Nice to see a bit of normality in this crazy time https://t.co/CyCG6pjG4M
— Peter Queally (@peterqueally) March 26, 2020
At this point, I’ve come to expect this type of behavior from Jon Jones.
DWI while shooting guns off during a quarantine seems kind of understandable. If looked at through the lens of Jones’s fuck up being inevitable.
— MiddleEasy (@MiddleEasy) March 26, 2020
Jones’ breathalyzer test was twice the legal limit? We sure it wasn’t just pulsing from his last DUI? https://t.co/TNbd753I4S
— Anton Tabuena (@antontabuena) March 26, 2020
Bro…you had one job. https://t.co/VRlXc2pjYu
— Michael Morgan (@mikewhoatv) March 26, 2020
See, there’s no need to panic. The world’s still perfectly normal. https://t.co/YuWyN0MukI
— Colby Covington (@ColbyCovMMA) March 26, 2020
News of Jones’ arrest was first reported by Albuquerque outlet KOAT.
According to KOAT’s report, Albuquerque police were dispatched to the area of 3rd Street and Central Avenue just after 1 a.m. in response to gunshots being fired. Officers reportedly found Jones inside his vehicle. The UFC champion allegedly told officers he didn’t know anything about the reports of gunfire, but admitted he had been driving after officers noticed signs of intoxication. Jones reportedly submitted to a sobriety test, which is said to have confirmed the officers’ suspicions. He subsequently accepted a Breathalyzer test and reportedly blew two times over the legal limit.
Jones was then arrested. Officers searched his vehicle, and reportedly found a handgun and a 750ml bottle of Recuerdo — coincidentally the mezcal brand owned by UFC welterweight star Jorge Masvidal, as several of the commenters above pointed out.
What’s your reaction to this unfortunate Jon Jones story?
This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 3/26/2020.