Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones pleaded guilty to his hit-and-run incident in New Mexico in April, which resulted in the removal from his position as UFC champion and suspended indefinitely by the promotion. At today’s plea hearing at an Albuquerque courthouse, with UFC president Dana White present, Jones apologized to Vanessa Sonnenberg, the pregnant woman whom he hit before fleeing the scene, as well as to the court and his fans.
According to Jones’ attorney, Ms. Sonnenberg has recovered from her injury (broken arm) and didn’t suffer any permanent damage from the accident. The presiding judge, who said Mr. Jones “got real lucky today,” sentenced Jones to 18 months of supervised probation. There will be no felony conviction for Jones as long as he meets all the conditions of his probation.
Marc Raimondi of MMA Fighting live-tweeted the proceedings on his Twitter account, and a summary of today’s plea hearing can be read below:
Lawyer: “This has been a huge wake-up call for Mr. Jones.”
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) September 29, 2015
Lawyer is saying that a felony conviction could affect Jones traveling out of the country for the UFC.
— Marc Raimondi (@marc_raimondi) September 29, 2015
Lawyer saying UFC fights take place in casinos and a felony charge could prevent Jones from competing in a place like that.
— Marc Raimondi (@marc_raimondi) September 29, 2015
Jones apologizes to the court, to the victim and the officers. He apologizes to his supporters, who he “embarrassed.”
— Marc Raimondi (@marc_raimondi) September 29, 2015
Jones: “I am here to accept full responsibility for my actions. I’m hoping that you guys can give me a chance to redeem myself.”
— Marc Raimondi (@marc_raimondi) September 29, 2015
Jones’ lawyer is asking the judge to allow Jones to have one household firearm, because he’s a professional athlete and public figure.
— Marc Raimondi (@marc_raimondi) September 29, 2015
Jones’ lawyer is asking for a conditional discharge, which is basically a probational release with certain conditions.
— Marc Raimondi (@marc_raimondi) September 29, 2015
Judge grants Jones a conditional discharge. Jones gets supervised probation for up to 18 months.
— Marc Raimondi (@marc_raimondi) September 29, 2015
Bloody Elbow will have follow-up coverage on this developing story throughout the day and over the next several days.
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