Jon Jones Faces Misdemeanor Charge for Leaving Scene of Accident in New Mexico

There may be a reason why UFC CEO Dana White chose to announce Jon Jones’ retirement in Azerbaijan on Saturday.

According to a criminal complaint obtained by Sherdog.com, Jones is facing a misdemeanor charge of leaving the scene of an accident in Albuquerque, New Mexico, this past February. A criminal complaint was filed in Bernalillo (New Mexico) Count Metropolitan Court on June 17, and Jones is required to appear for a bond arraignment on July 24. The Albuquerque Journal was first to report the charge.

According to the complaint, a member of the Albuquerque Police department was conducting interviews at the scene of a “two-vehicle collision” in Albuquerque this past February. A woman sitting in the front passenger seat of her vehicle, who was “exhibiting significant signs of intoxication and lacking clothing from the waist down,” told officers that Jones was the driver and had fled the scene on foot.

The woman then called a man she claimed was Jones and allowed a police service aide to speak with him. According to the complaint, Jones “also appeared to be heavily intoxicated and made statements implying his capacity to employ lethal force through third parties” during the phone conversation with the PSA. An APD officer then spoke to Jones on the phone, and “similar allusions to violence were made.” The complaint also states that when both the PSA and officer tried to get Jones to reveal his identity, “the individual on the phone evaded providing a direct confimation.”

In follow-up interviews conducted with Jones, he claimed that the woman had been at his residence earlier that evening and then left his home in an “intoxicated state” before contacting him to inform him of the accident. Jones also said that when he spoke to the officer on the phone, the individual “immediately opened the conversation with unprofessional language, which led him to doubt the legitimacy of the individual's claim to be a law enforcement officer.”

Jon Jones Hit With Criminal Charge After Retirement Announcement

Meanwhile, in a separate interview, the woman stated that she arrived at Jones’ home and “subsequently consumed alcohol and ingested psilocybin mushrooms.” She added that she had to change her clothes at Jones’ home and “removed her pants with the intention of having Mr. Jones drive her home to retrieve clothing.” The woman claimed that her next recollection was of being at the “scene of a traffice accident, surronded by police officers and paramedics.” The complaint states that she remembered the last person to drive her vehicle prior to the accident was Jones. According to the complaint, Jones called the woman 13 times between the time of the crash and 11:34 a.m. the following day.

It is currently unknown why the charge wasn’t filed against Jones until months after the incident. After White’s announcement during the UFC Baku press conference, Jones confirmed his retirement in a statement on social media.

Today, I’m officially announcing my retirement from the UFC. This decision comes after a lot of reflection, and I want to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude for the journey I’ve experienced over the years.

From the first time I stepped into the Octagon, my goal was to…

— Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) June 22, 2025

Jones has faced numerous legal issues over the course of his MMA career. He was notably arrrested for fleeing the scene of a hit-and-run accident in New Mexico in 2015. Jones was ultimately pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 months probation. .He was stripped of his UFC light heavyweight title as a result of that incident.

With Jones retired, Tom Aspinall has been promoted to UFC heavyweight champion. White and the UFC have yet to comment on Jones’ latest legal issues. It is unclear if the latest charge has any relation to Jones’ decision to call it a career, as he has teased retirement on multiple occasions in recent months.