UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon "Bones" Jones pleaded guilty on Monday to a misdeameanor charge of driving while intoxicated. Jones, who was arrested earlier this month after striking a telephone pole in his 2012 Bentley, made a court appearance in Binghamton, N.Y. to enter the plea. The fighter's attorney stated that Jones' plea deal with the district attorney's office calls for a fine and conditional discharge, although Jones will need to complete an alcohol abuse and dependency assessment before sentencing takes place on June 19.
It was undoubtedly one of the lowest moments of the 24-year-old Jones's life, but it may also prove to be one of the most important.
One reason often given for drunk driving and other instances of poor judgment by teenagers and young adults is a feeling of invincibility, and if anyone has given himself a reason to feel invincible in recent years, it's Jones. The junior college wrestling champion has gone 16-1 as a mixed martial artist, with the one loss (against Matt Hamill at the season 10 finale of The Ultimate Fighter) coming by disqualification due to illegal elbow strikes in a fight he was dominating.
Since that December 2009 night in Las Vegas, Jones has won seven straight fights, with his last four - his title victory over Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and defenses against Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Lyoto "the Dragon" Machida, and former teammate Rashad Evans - all coming against former UFC champions, the best the MMA world has to offer him. What's more, in only one of those fights did Jones show as much as a hint of vulnerability: against the notoriously unorthodox Machida at UFC 140 in Toronto.
While Dan Henderson will try to prove otherwise when he challenges Jones at UFC 151 over Labor Day Weekend, Jones has shown himself to be all but invincible when he steps inside the Octagon. However, with his car accident and the subsequent DWI charge, Jones is learning that he's not invincible when he leaves the cage.
Between wrecking a $200,000 car and having to make a plea bargain with the District Attorney's office to avoid jail time, Jones is receiving what seems to be a much-needed reminder of his vulnerability. The alcohol dependency assessment will further enforce the lesson, making Jones aware of what may be a weakness as a person.
In general, Jones has carried himself as a gentleman outside of the Octagon, with a calm demeanor that matches his composure in the cage. After addressing a lapse in his conduct on Monday, Jones may have learned an important lesson on his way to carrying the UFC into the future as its next great superstar.
