Recently released bodycam footage from Jon Jones’ 2021 arrest shows the UFC fighter yelling at officers and headbutting the hood of a police vehicle.
The 34-year-old former UFC light heavyweight champion was detained in the early morning hours of September 24, 2021, on suspicion of domestic violence in Las Vegas. While being taken into custody, Jones reportedly caused damage to a Las Vegas Police vehicle and earned an added charge of tampering with a vehicle on top of his eventual charge of misdemeanor battery domestic violence.
Police sought out the MMA fighter after police were called to an area hotel after an altercation with his wife the night before. “Bones” was in town to be inducted into the “Fight Wing” of the UFC Hall-of-Fame. In honor of his 2013 title fight against Alexander Gustafsson.
Footage from September 2021 Jon Jones arrest video surfaces
In the video, obtained by The Las Vegas Review-Journal, Jones is very emotional and seems likely under the influence of a recreational substance. At several points, he is heard yelling at the responding officers while handcuffed and saying, “I hate you.” He then questions their reasons for stopping him by exclaiming, “I came from my Hall-of-Fame ceremony, and I’m black, and I had my friends, and I did nothing to you … hang me, hurt me, and kill me. What did I do?”
Eventually, he becomes enraged enough that he bashes his head on the hood of the squad car he was positioned up against. That violent gesture leads the officers to place him in the squad card and then take him to the nearby police headquarters.
In December, Jones accepted a plea deal of no contest to a lesser charge of misdemeanor destruction of property and had to pay $750 in restitution to the Las Vegas Police department.
Jones has a notable history of run-ins with law enforcement. Including a 2015 incident where he fled from the scene of a car accident when he hit a car driven by a pregnant woman.
Jones has not fought in the UFC since a Feb. 2020 victory over Dominick Reyes in a light heavyweight title defense. He is expected to compete in the heavyweight division for his next Octagon appearance.