Trending News|May 04, 2015 02:19 EDT
Jon Jones News: Former UFC Champ Could Get Up to Three Years in Prison
Following his most recent run in with the law, former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was stripped of his title, got suspended by the organization indefinitely, and lost his endorsement deal with Reebok. During an episode of "UFC Tonight," Fox Sports 1 legal analyst Rob Becker opined that those things could be the least of Jones' worries, MMA Weekly reports.
On April 26, Jones was allegedly involved in a hit-and-run accident in Albuquerque, N.M., which resulted in injuries to a pregnant motorist. Jones appeared in court before Judge Maria Dominguez who did not require the virtually undefeated fighter to enter a plea to the charges.
"The next step is up to the prosecution. They have to decide whether to go in front of a Grand Jury and try to get an indictment. But given that it seems clear what this guy did, and there are so many witnesses to it, I think it's inevitable that there will be an indictment," Becker said, adding that he believes the former pound-for-pound champion's lawyers could be trying to get a plea bargain with the prosecution.
When Becker was asked on the show what kind of punishment could be meted out to Jones, his prognosis was something the fighter would find deeply troubling.
"I think he'll get three years. Now, the judge can knock it down to two years for mitigating circumstances, but in order for that to happen, he's going to have to show that when he left the scene of the crime, he didn't think there was any reason why there would be a serious injury. And considering he knocked the victim's car into another car, that's going to be pretty difficult to do," Becker said.
Jones was charged with "Knowingly Leaving the Scene of an Accident Causing Bodily Harm or Death," a third degree felony in New Mexico, which could include a sentencing of up to three years in a state prison, as noted by MMA Weekly.