White wanted to charter a jet for Jones to get home 'safe and sound'

Dana White reveals he wanted to charter a PRIVATE JET for Jon Jones to make sure the troubled star gets home ‘safe and sound’… but the heavyweight champion claims to be a changed man and says the UFC boss has ‘no reason to be worried’

• Jon Jones is UFC heavyweight champion after beating Ciryl Gane in Las Vegas
• The controversial American fighter had not fought for more than three years  
• Jones has had a chequered past with arrests, doping and recreational drug use

Dana White wanted to charter a private jet for heavyweight champion Jon Jones to make sure the troubled star gets home ‘safe and sound’ after his sensational victory over Ciryl Gane at UFC 285.

Jones underlined his status as one of the all-time greats after picking up a submission victory, just two minutes and four seconds into the first round in Las Vegas.

The controversial American had not fought for more than three years since vacating his title at light-heavyweight to bulk up and have a go in the division above – which he has successfully conquered. 

Speaking after Jones’ incredible first round victory, UFC boss White said: ‘I told Hunter, charter a private jet and get Jon Jones home to New Mexico right now, safe and sound.’

White’s concerns came after hearing Jones had plans for an after party in Las Vegas – where he was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence in September 2021 after a security guard at Caesars Palace realised his fiancee, Jessie Moses, had a bloody lip and blood on her clothes.

Jones underlined his status as one of the all-time greats after picking up a submission victory against Ciryl Gane in Las Vegas 

Dana White said that he wanted to charter a private jet for Jones to get him home ‘safe and sound’

But when quizzed on whether White was right to be concerned, Jones said in his post-fight conference: ‘Absolutely not. He has no reason to be worried. Dana knows we all make mistakes and I am not the man… I won’t even say that. 

‘I’m excited to go out. I’m excited to meet my fans. I’m excited to shake their hands, to look them in the eyes, to give them hugs.

‘I know that tickets were more expensive than they normally are and a lot of people don’t get the opportunity to see me in person and I wanna give as much good energy as I can.

‘My after party isn’t about drinking or anything like that. It’s about giving back to my fans.’

In December last year, Jones reached a plea deal leading to the dismissal of the domestic violence charge.

He did not contest the charge of destruction of property for ‘chipping the paint’ and leaving a ‘medium sized dent’ in the car.

Jones’ stellar career inside the cage has been underpinned by multiple ugly incidents out of it.

His first major brush with the law came in 2012 when Jones crashed his £150,000 Bentley into a traffic pole after a night out partying. Two years later, Jones was fined $50,000 and given 40 hours community service for brawling with Daniel Cormier at the press conference for UFC 178.

The controversial American has had numerous run-ins with the law, plus he has previously failed drug tests

Jones was also involved in a felony hit-and-run which resulted in a pregnant woman sustaining a serious arm injury. He fled the scene before turning himself in to the police and was subsequently stripped of his UFC light heavyweight title and suspended. Jones eventually avoided jail time, but was given 18 months probation.

In March 2016, Jones was taken to Albuquerque jail after violating his probation due to being given five tickets for drag racing. He was filmed being abusive to the officer in question and was told to take anger management and driving classes.

In March 2020 he was charged with ‘drink driving and firing weapon after being found with bottle of tequila and black handgun’.

Jones also had a chequered past with recreational and performance-enhancing drug use.

He was forced to withdraw from a fight with Daniel Cormier after failing a drug test for two different banned substances — clomiphene and letrozole. Jones then knocked out Cormier in their rematch in 2017 but subsequently tested positive for Turinabol, an anabolic steroid, and the fight was overturned to a no contest.

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