UFC Champ Jon Jones Arrested for Suspicion of DUI

Light heavyweight champ scheduled to meet Dan Henderson on Sept. 1

Jon Jones, the UFC’s light heavyweight champion and one of its most popular fighters, has been arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence.

According to TMZ, Jones was arrested early Saturday morning near his Ithaca, N.Y., hometown after totaling his Bentley in Binghamton. According to the website, Jones was taken into custody around 5 a.m. by the Broome County Sheriff’s Department after crashing into a utility pole. TMZ said Jones’ mother bailed him out of jail later Saturday morning.

The UFC has not made any official statement on the matter, though UFC president Dana White told TMZ in a text message: “Wow, I guess its (sic) not my week is it?”

First Round Management, which represents Jones, issued a statement saying neither Jones not any of his representatives would grant any interviews and asked for privacy for Jones.

“I can confirm that Jon Jones was arrested early this morning on suspicion of DUI,” Malki Kawa, Jones manager, said in a statement issued to media members. “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.”

Jones is coming off his third succesful title defense, a unanimous decision victory over Rashad Evans a month ago at UFC 145 in Atlanta. The two are staunch rivals thanks to their history as former friends and training partners. The win was Jones seventh in a row and had White saying he may be the No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world now, behind only middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

Jones also had a first for both him and the UFC at the event when he eschewed other sponsors in favor of being sponsored by the UFC itself, wearing its new apparel to the cage. Jones had said prior to the fight he hoped to one day sign with a major mainstream brand such as Nike or UnderArmour.

Jones recently was booked for his next fight, a title defense against former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson that will take place at UFC 151 on Sept. 1 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. That bout likely won’t change.

Jones is the second UFC fighter arrested for DUI suspicion in the last several weeks. UFC featherweight Ross Pearson was arrested in Las Vegas in late April.

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