Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has officially been reinstated.
UFC officials announced Friday that Jones has had his suspension lifted, though his next opponent and return date have yet to be determined. Jones avoided jail time last month when he reached a plea agreement in his hit-and-run case and has been completing community service.
“We’ve made it clear to Jon that this new opportunity to compete in UFC is a privilege and not a right, and that there are significant expectations we have regarding his conduct moving forward,” UFC Chairman and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta said in a statement, via MMAJunkie.com. “We’re happy to read and see reports that he has embraced the terms of his plea agreement and is using this experience to grow and develop as a person.”
Jones will be required to continue to fulfill his court obligations while training to return to the Octagon. He thanked the UFC for giving him a second chance in a post on Facebook.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to resume my career and I am excited to show how much I’ve grown as a person outside of the octagon,” Jones wrote. “It took me losing almost everything I had worked for to realize how much I had. I am blessed and humbled by the continued support of the MMA community and I can’t thank my fans enough for their unwavering support through my ups and downs. This marks the beginning of a new chapter in my life and my career and let me assure you, the best is yet to come.”
When you read the details of Jones’ hit-and-run and consider that marijuana was allegedly found in his vehicle, you get an idea of how fortunate he is to not be in jail. Jones, who has a 15-1 UFC record, has to serve an 18-month probation and make 72 community service appearances.
Jones has a history of getting into trouble. In 2012, he crashed his Bentley into a telephone pole in New York and pleaded guilty to drunk driving. Then in January we learned that Jones tested positive for cocaine prior to his UFC 182 fight with Daniel Cormier.
Cormier won the vacant UFC light heavyweight championship after Jones was stripped. It likely won’t be long before Jones is given an opportunity to win it back.
