UFC icon Jon Jones has issued a first public message since his arrest in Las Vegas, after police said the 34-year-old fighter had headbutted a vehicle while Jones’ fiancée was found with blood on her clothing and face.
In a message posted on Instagram Stoties, Jones showed himself doing a weight training session, adding a series of messages in relation to his arrest last Friday – which came just hours after he had been inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
“I have way too much trauma to consume alcohol,” Jones wrote, accompanying the clip with the Randy Newman song ‘You’ve got a friend in me’.
Jon Jones just posted this video on his Instagram account. pic.twitter.com/L89i0pP0Rw
— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) September 29, 2021
“My brain simply can’t handle it anymore. I will leave alcohol in my past forever,” Jones added.
“Now is the time to work harder than ever.
“Turn this nightmare into the best thing to ever happen in my life.
“What the devil means for bad, God means for good.
“Get right back on my horse.”
The former long-time light-heavyweight champion was arrested for misdemeanor domestic battery and felony tampering with a vehicle by Las Vegas police, with disturbing details of the incident emerging on Tuesday.
According to a police report, officers had been called to an alleged domestic disturbance at Caesar’s Palace. Jones was not at the scene but was detained while walking nearby.
The MMA star is said to have been emotionally unstable while in police custody, alternating between periods of calm and anger.
That included Jones “smash[ing] his head into the front hood of the patrol vehicle, leaving a medium size dent as well as chipping of some of the paint on the vehicle,” according to the report.
The concerning details also stated that Jessie Moses – who is the mother of Jones’ three children – was found by officers with blood on her clothing and face.
When asked if Jones had been physical with her, Moses is quoted as replying “a little bit, yeah,” before clarifying: “He touch[ed] the back of my head and pulled my hair a little bit but he did not hit me or anything.”
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Jones has denied that he was violent towards his partner but admitted that the pair had been enduring difficult times.
The star is said to have headed out earlier in the night while Moses remained at the hotel room, only for Jones to return and say he was taking $10,000 to visit a strip club, which allegedly triggered a row.
The initial call to police came when a bloodied and tearful Moses approached the security desk at Caesar’s Palace asking for a key to her room, while one of her children asked: “Can you call the cops?”
Jones was released from custody on Friday after posting bail and is due to appear in court on October 26.
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Jones has had numerous run-ins with the law down the years, including a hit-and-run in 2015 which left a pregnant woman with a broken arm, and resulted in the fighter being stripped of his light-heavyweight title.
The former UFC king has not fought in the octagon since defending his title against Dominick Reyes in February of 2020.
Jones vacated his title amid a pay row with UFC boss Dana White over a step up to heavyweight to face Cameroonian powerhouse Francis Ngannou.
Jones has recently signaled that he is still planning make the move up in 2022. His only defeat in 28 fights remains a disqualification for illegal use of elbows against Matt Hamill in 2009.