The UFC announced today that the former light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones has been reinstated to the organization.
Jon Jones was stripped of his belt and suspended by the UFC last April, after he was involved in a hit and run accident, in Albuquerque, NM.
The fighter pleaded guilty to a felony count and was sentenced to 18 months of supervised probation and ordered to make 72 appearances in local charities.
Before that, Jones was also caught with traces of cocaine in his system one month before his UFC 182 fight against Daniel Cormier, which he won.
He was then fined in $25,000 by the UFC.
Jones released a statement on his social media channels after being reinstated:
“I am grateful for the opportunity to resume my career and I am excited to show how much I’ve grown as a person outside of the octagon. It took me losing almost everything I had worked for to realize how much I had. I am blessed and humbled by the continued support of the MMA community and I can’t thank my fans enough for their unwavering support through my ups and downs. This marks the beginning of a new chapter in my life and my career and let me assure you, the best is yet to come.”
There’s still no word on when Jones will be making his first appearance on his comeback to the octagon.
