Jon Jones plea deal: Why was the domestic violence charge against 'Bones' dismissed?
Jon Jones accepted a plea deal in his domestic battery case this week and, as a result, the charges have been dropped in Nevada. This means that the former UFC light heavyweight champion will not face any jail time.
In exchange, Jones pleaded no contest to a lesser misdemeanor charge of destruction of property, according to court documents. He was sentenced to pay a fine in the range of $25 to $250.
The sentence also stated that the UFC fighter must not commit any further offenses, pay $750 in restitution to the victim and attend anger management counseling.
The charges stemmed from an altercation that took place on September 24th following his UFC Hall of Fame 'Fight Wing' induction. Jones was arrested after police found his longtime fiancee Jessie Moses with blood on her face and sweatshirt inside a Las Vegas hotel.
During his arrest, Jones allegedly smashed his head against the hood of a police vehicle which led to the destruction of property charge.
Can Jon Jones continue to fight in the UFC?
While Jon Jones is no stranger to trouble with the law, he is not facing any jail time for his recent legal issues. This means that 'Bones' can continue to compete in the UFC and entertain his league of MMA fans.
However, Jones has not fought in the cage in a long time. He was last seen in action on February 9th, 2020 where he successfully defended his light heavyweight title against Dominick Reyes. The fight was arguably the hardest battle of his MMA career, with many fans believing that 'Bones' hadn't done enough to retain his championship.
Months after the win over Reyes, Jon Jones relinguished the light heavyweight belt and announced a move to heavyweight to potentially take on Francis Ngannou. At the time, 'Bones' had laid out the condition that the UFC would have to pay him what he believes he is worth for the super fight to happen.
Unfortunately, there hasn’t been much progress towards making the fight happen beyond Jones expressing interest in returning to the cage in the second quarter of 2022.
Following his recent legal troubles, Jon Jones was forced out of the Jackson Wink MMA Academy in Albuquerque where he trained his entire career. 'Bones' is now training at the Fight Ready gym in Phoenix, Arizona alongside Olympic gold medalist and former UFC two-division champion Henry Cejudo.