Anderson Silva: ‘I feel sad’ for Jon Jones after arrest on domestic violence charges

Just hours after he was celebrating his induction to the UFC Hall of Fame, former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was arrested and taken into custody on charges of battery domestic violence as well as injuring or tampering with a vehicle.

While details surrounding the actual incident remain a mystery, Jones’ arrest was just the latest in a long line of legal problems he’s faced over the past few years.

From DUI charges including an arrest in 2020 in New Mexico to a hit-and-run accident that took place in 2015, Jones has struggled to stay out of trouble, which has repeatedly hurt his professional career.

Former UFC champion Anderson Silva has long standing ties to Jones after the two formed a friendship while they were both competing inside the octagon.

When addressing the recent arrest, Silva didn’t dive into the particulars but admitted that he was concerned for Jones, especially considering how he seems to be his own worst enemy despite his status as arguably one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time.

“I don’t know what happened with Jon Jones but I feel sad,” Silva said Monday on The MMA Hour. “Because I feel Jon Jones is my little brother. I [talk] with my manager all the time — [self]-sabotage. That’s come to make something bad in your [own] life. Jon Jones don’t need that.

“He’s an amazing person. I feel sad. It’s tough for me to be talking about Jon Jones.”

Following his arrest, Jones was released on bond with his next court date set for Oct. 26, but he’s yet to make a statement regarding the situation.

When it comes to his fight career, Jones has already been out of action for over a year after he won a decision against Dominick Reyes and then relinquished the light heavyweight title in order to focus on his future at heavyweight.

At the UFC Hall of Fame ceremony, Jones said he was still packing on pounds in order to compete at heavyweight with a goal to get bigger than reigning champion Francis Ngannou by the time he makes his debut.

Now, Jones has bigger problems to deal with as he faces another legal entanglement that could potentially end with jail time.