Jon Jones, one of the biggest names in UFC history, is heading to court again. The former heavyweight champion is scheduled for two bench trials in New Mexico over a car accident from February 2025. He’s accused of leaving the crash scene and making threatening phone calls. His attorney is pushing to have one case dropped, saying the charges are unfairly repeated.
What Happened in February
On February 21, 2025, Albuquerque police arrived at a two-car crash. They found a woman in the passenger seat of one vehicle, heavily drunk and partially undressed below the waist. She told police Jones was driving her car and ran off after the accident. She called Jones, and a police aide spoke to a man believed to be him. The police report says the man sounded drunk and hinted he could arrange harm through others.
Jones denied driving that night. He told police the woman had been at his home earlier, already drunk when she left. He said the person who called him after the crash used unprofessional language, making him question if they were really police. Phone records show Jones’ device was near where the woman said they were drinking, but there’s a gap in the data around the crash time. Police said Jones “cannot be excluded” from being at the scene.
Jones faces a misdemeanor for leaving the accident scene and has pleaded not guilty. The first bench trial is set for August 14, 2025, with Judge Jill Martinez. A second case, filed June 30, repeats the same charge but adds another for using a phone to threaten, intimidate, or harass. This trial is scheduled for September 2, 2025, before Judge Brittany Maldonado Malott. Both will be held online.
Jones’ attorney, Christopher Dodd, filed a motion on July 9 to dismiss the second case. He argues both cases cover the same incident, breaking rules against double-charging someone.
“The incidents at issue in both cases are one and the same. Mr. Jones now is forced to defend himself against two separate cases involves the exact same factual allegations,” Dodd wrote in his argument. “It is unknown why an [Albuquerque Police Department] detective and an [Albuquerque Police Department] officer who were both involved in the investigation of this case would not communicate and coordinate who would file charges but that seems to be what happened, unless the truth is that these law enforcement officers intentionally violated the same mandatory joinder rule for some improper strategic purpose.,
“Either way, the result is the same; this case should be dismissed as Mr. Jones has been impermissibly charged twice for the same underlying incident.” Via MMAFighting
He said the duplicate charges might be due to sloppy police work or an intentional misuse of the law. The judge hasn’t ruled on the motion yet.
Jones, now 38, has faced trouble before. In 2015, he was tied to a hit-and-run in Albuquerque, where he allegedly fled a three-car crash that hurt a pregnant woman. Police found marijuana and cash in his rental car. Jones turned himself in, pleaded guilty, got probation, and avoided jail. In 2021, he faced domestic violence charges in Las Vegas, but they were dropped after he did community service. Earlier in 2025, he was accused of assaulting a drug testing agent, but no charges were filed after his attorney stepped in.
Jones’ legal problems often steal focus from his incredible MMA career. He held the UFC light heavyweight title for nearly 10 years, only losing once by a debated disqualification in 2009. In 2023, he won the heavyweight belt by submitting Ciryl Gane and defended it against Stipe Miocic in November 2024. Jones retired in June 2025, right before the first charge from this accident came up. He’s since talked about returning, rejoining the UFC’s drug-testing program and eyeing a 2026 White House event.
The trials could shape Jones’ next steps, in and out of the cage. The August 14 trial will tackle the charge of leaving the scene, while the September 2 trial adds the phone threat charge. If Dodd’s motion succeeds, the second case might get tossed out, easing Jones’ legal load.
For now, he’s still in the UFC drug-testing pool, training, and hinting at a comeback. Jones’ fighting legacy is unmatched, but his off-cage struggles keep making headlines.
