Jon Jones might seriously believe he’s a victim in the wake of his latest arrest for an alleged domestic violence incident with his fiancee, and that became evident Wednesday.
During an appearance on “The MMA Hour,” Jones’ longtime coach, Mike Winkeljohn, announced that the former UFC light heavyweight champion has been banned from Jackson Wink MMA in Albuquerque, N.M. – at least until he shows that he’s gotten his act together.
In response, Jones shared that he was heartbroken when Winkeljohn informed him of his decision.
“Had a heartbreaking conversation over the phone with one of my longtime coaches last night, really hurts to lose the support of someone I respect so much,” Jones wrote on Twitter. “Sincere thank you to the rest of the coaches for staying in the fight with me. Our journey continues.”
Jones’ since-deleted tweet (screen grab above) indicated that other coaches from Jackson Wink will continue to train Jones. In a statement to ESPN, a gym spokesperson said coaches Greg Jackson and Brandon Gibson will continue to train Jones off site as he continues working toward a projected return to the UFC as a heavyweight in the second quarter of 2022.
Jones, 34, was arrested Sept. 24 on charges of misdemeanor domestic violence and felony injuring and/or tampering with a vehicle after an alleged physical altercation with his fiancee, Jessie Moses, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The incident, which left Moses bloodied in front of their children, was just the latest in a string of Jones run-ins with the law.
Through it all – including a 2015 hit-and-run that injured a pregnant woman and allegations of groping a strip club waitress in 2019 – Winkeljohn has stood by Jones. But this latest incident of alleged domestic violence turned out to be a bridge too far for Winkeljohn, who has three daughters and teaches a women’s self-defense class at Jackson Wink.
“I just had a conversation with him. I said, ‘Jon, here’s the deal, man. You’re like my little brother. You have to stop drinking and fix these things for a certain period of time until you come back to the gym,’” Winkeljohn said. “So at the moment, he’s out of the gym. He’s not allowed to come in the gym because I feel I had to do that. Ignoring it and expecting different results is insanity.”
Jones has yet to acknowledge or take responsibility for his actions. His first time addressing it on Instagram included a vow to quit drinking and seemingly blaming the devil for his transgressions.
Jones followed that up by posting a bizarre video of him and Moses, his alleged victim, kissing and making up. Jones later deleted that video from Instagram.
Jon Jones: It ‘really hurts’ to lose Mike Winkeljohn’s support after domestic violence arrest