The former UFC champion Jon Jones has protested his innocence despite being cited for drag racing in Albuquerque last week.
Albuquerque police said Jones had also been speeding at the time but the fighter said his actions had been misinterpreted and he was merely greeting fans. “I was not drag racing nor was I speeding. I did not get a speeding ticket. I was driving within the speed limit of the 35mph zone,” Jones said in a statement. “I feel that police used a technicality to ticket me for drag racing, for simply revving my engine and acknowledging some of my local fans. I regrettably said words to the police officer out of frustration, for which I apologize for, but I do feel this was excessive.”
In an video obtained by TMZ, Jones is captured calling the police officer who pulled him over “an absolute fucking liar”.
“For the police to be correct, the judge is going to have to find that Jon revving his engine constitutes drag racing,” Jones’s attorney, Vincent Ward, said. “He wasn’t speeding, he was not driving recklessly. All Jon did was rev his engine to acknowledge a fan.”
The incident is not the first driving offence Jones has been involved in. He was given a 90 day suspended sentence earlier this month for driving without a license, registration or proof of insurance. He was also charged with leaving the scene of an accident in April 2015 in which a pregnant woman was left with a broken arm. He was placed on probation and stripped of his UFC title over the incident.
Jones is due to fight light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier in Las Vegas on April 23 in Las Vegas.
“We are aware of the situation and are looking into the matter,” the UFC said in a statement. “We’ve also been in touch with Jon’s team regarding the matter.”
