Mixed martial arts champion Jon "Bones" Jones was stripped of his Ultimate Fighting Championship title and suspended indefinitely Tuesday, after being arrested in connection with a hit-and-run accident that injured a pregnant woman in New Mexico.
Jones, 27, turned himself into Albuquerque police Monday and was booked at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center, police said. Jones, who is free on bond, appeared in court Tuesday on a single count of felony leaving the scene of an accident involving personal injury, NBC station KOB reported.
"UFC feels strongly that its athletes must uphold certain standards both in and out of the Octagon," the organization said in a statement Tuesday, referring to the name of the ring in which fights take place.
Police said in an arrest warrant that a 30-year-old pregnant woman suffered an injury to her arm after Jones allegedly crashed his silver Buick sport utility vehicle into her red Honda Sunday morning, and Jones allegedly fled on foot towards a gated community.
A witness to the crash said after the SUV slammed into the driver’s side of the Honda, a man later identified as Jones ran up a dirt hill, then ran back "to retrieve cash from the vehicle and shoved it into his pockets," before running off into a gated community, according to the warrant.
An off-duty police officer who happened upon the crash saw the driver of the SUV and recognized Jones immediately, because, "I watch UFC all the time, I know what Jon Jones looks like," the warrant said.
Officers found a pipe with marijuana in the SUV as well as MMA and rental car documents in Jones' name, according to the police report.
Jones, who lives in Albuquerque, was the UFC light heavyweight champion before his title was stripped Tuesday. He had been scheduled to defend that title against Anthony Johnson in the UFC 187 event on May 23 in Las Vegas. UFC said Johnson and Daniel Cormier will fight for the title instead.
Jones didn’t return KOB's calls for comment. But the fighter said on Twitter Tuesday, "Got a lot of soul searching to do. Sorry to everyone I let down."
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.