Jon Jones has fulfilled his probation obligations stemming from a felony hit-and-run accident in April of 2015, but remains unable to return to the UFC anytime soon.
Jones was stripped of his UFC belt following his involvement in a felony hit-and-run accident in Albuquerque, N.M., on April 27, 2015, which left a pregnant motorist injured. He faced a felony charge of Leaving the Scene of an Accident Resulting in Bodily Harm or Death.
Jones ran a red light and smashed his rented SUV into a car, which, in turn, smashed into another car. The driver of the car he allegedly smashed into suffered a fractured arm and wrist. Jones then fled the scene on foot, reportedly without so much as checking to see if anyone was injured.
The 28-year-old stripped champion entered into a plea deal with the prosecution, which subjected him to 18 months of supervised probation and required him to make 72 speaking appearances at local Boys and Girls clubs as well as schools in Bernalillo County, N.M.
Jones recently completed all of the terms of his probation, as first reported by TMZ Sports, and the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s office confirmed that he is now clear of his probation.
While that was a major hurdle in Jones’ return to the Octagon, he remains under suspensions imposed by the Nevada Athletic Commission and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.
Although Jones was approved to fight during his probation, a rematch with light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier went awry when he was flagged for an anti-doping violation. Three days before UFC 200, which is where Jones and Cormier were supposed to headline, Jones was pulled from the fight card after testing positive for Hydroxyclomiphene, a prohibited anti-estrogenic substance.
Jones is currently in the midst of 12-month suspension imposed by both bodies. Barring any further incidents, Jones will be eligible to compete again on July 6, 2017.
