One of the most successful mixed martial arts fighters in the UFC, was arrested last week for a DUI in Binghamton, New York. Jon Jones was arrested after slamming his 2012 Bentley Continental GT into a telephone, according to a report from Yahoo! Sports.
According to sources, Jones was arrested at 5:02 a.m. on a Saturday morning, and there is no word on whether he was injured in the accident.
After his arrest, Jones was released to his family after paying bond.
Until this point, Jones has had a squeaky clean image, so a judge may have some mercy if he is a first-time offender.
Right now, the UFC will be a little stressed over the potential loss of one of its most popular and marketable stars. This is a sport that is desperate for good publicity. Jones has appeared in Bud Lite commercials and has a potential sponsorship with Nike.
In addition to him being a dominant light heavyweight fighter, Jones has also become a huge star at the box office. He has helped lure fans to UFC events and television viewers to tune into pay-per-view events. During his last fight, Jones reportedly sold more than 700,000 different units, which is a big success for UFC’s television numbers. In addition to those numbers, his fight drew more than 15,000 fans, which aided the organization to net more than $2 million in ticket proceeds.
Previous UFC fighters have sullied the league’s reputation with their actions outside the ring. For example, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, was a former UFC fighter who was charged with a hit-and-run felony and reckless driving in 2008.
It does appear that the UFC will give Jones the opportunity to improve his public image after he is sentenced for the DUI. The UFC, said sources, is concerned about preserving its biggest current star.