UFC ‘Disappointed’ in Jon Jones, But Bout vs. Cormier Will Proceed as Planned

Despite Jon Jones’ recent legal troubles, the UFC 197 headliner will remain intact.

The Las Vegas-based promotion released a statement expressing disappointment in Jones’ latest troubles, which resulted in him spending two full days in jail due to a probation violation before appearing in court on Thursday. Jones, who was cited for five traffic violations — including drag racing — on March 24, received several new conditions for his probation: he must take driver improvement and anger management course sas well as perform 60 hours of community service. He is also not allowed to drive unless he receives permission from his probation officer.

The UFC’s full statement is as follows:

UFC respects the decision made today by Judge Michael E. Martinez in New Mexico Second Judicial District Court regarding the probation terms of the case involving Jon Jones.

The organization was disappointed to learn that Jones was cited for several traffic offenses last week, as well as concerned by the nature and tone of portions of the conversation between Jones and the citing officer.

Still, UFC respects Jones' right to contest those traffic citations in court and receive a fair hearing on the matter.

Jones' scheduled bout on April 23 will proceed as planned, however, Jones understands that the UFC expects him to fully cooperate with the terms of his probation as set forth by Judge Martinez.

Jones was serving 18 months’ supervised probation after pleading guilty to fleeing the scene of a hit-and-run accident in Albuquerque, N.M., in April 2015. It was Jones second traffic violation in recent months, as he was also cited for driving without a license registration or proof of insurance on Jan. 31 but he was cleared of those violations after providing proper documentation in court.

UFC 197 takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and airs on pay-per-view. In the evening’s main event, Jones will face Daniel Cormier in an attempt to regain the light heavyweight title that the UFC stripped from him following the hit-and-run incident last year. Jones defeated Cormier via unanimous decision at UFC 182 in January 2015.