Jon Jones may be imprisoned for up to three years.
Jones was recently charged with knowingly leaving the scene of an accident, causing bodily harm or death, the Inquisitr reported. The charge is a third-degree felony in New Mexico, which usually results in imprisonment of up to three years in a state prison.
The UFC fighter was involved in a hit-and-run accident on April 24, 2015, which happened in Albuquerque, New Mexico, MMA Weekly noted. He allegedly ran a red light and hit a car with a pregnant woman driver inside. Based on the criminal complaint - arrest warrant affidavit released by the City of Albuquerque website, the woman suffered a fractured wrist and arm. A witness identified Jones as the driver of the vehicle and reportedly left the scene carrying a handful of cash. Marijuana and marijuana paraphernalia remained in the vehicle after the Jones left.
Should Jones be convicted, he may be laid off for a year or more, regardless of whether he actually gets prison time, according to Fox Sports.
Rob Becker, legal analyst of Fox Sports 1, shared his views about Jones' future on UFC Tonight. He said, as quoted by Inquisitr, "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.
"I think he'll get three years. Now, the judge could 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 pretty difficult to do."
For Becker, Jones must do the following to avoid longer jail time: "I would suggest that he try to get a plea bargain for as few years as possible, maybe a year, or a year and a half. And I would try to get him to stress whatever reasons he has for trying to say, 'hey, I left the scene because I just didn't think there was a big deal here.'"
The publication also noted that Jones was supposed to defend his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship against Anthony Johnson on May 23, 2015. He has been stripped of his title after he was charged and Daniel Cormier will replace him for the said match. Jones reportedly lost almost $4 million due to missing the big event.
Fox Sports added that Jones' absence could have a negative effect on the UFC light heavyweight division. Although there are a number of good fighters in the category, none is believed to be as dominant as Jones.