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UFC champion Jon Jones arrested on suspicion of DUI

UFC 135

Jack Dempsey / AP

Jon Jones, left, of Endicott, N.Y., kneels in the center of the rink after submitting Rampage Jackson, right, of Irvine, Calif., during the fourth round of their UFC light heavyweight title bout, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011, in Denver.

Authorities arrested UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones early Saturday morning, according to TMZ.com, on suspicion of DUI after the 24-year old allegedly wrecked his Bentley in Binghamton, N.Y.

His management confirmed the report by releasing a statement Saturday.

“While the facts of this situation are still being gathered and situated, First Round Management fully supports Jon and we are asking for fans and media to respect the privacy of Jon and his family during this time,” stated Malki Kawa, Jones’ manager.

The UFC has not yet commented on the arrest. There’s no word on whether the accident will force Jones out of his recently announced UFC 151 bout against Dan Henderson in Las Vegas over Labor Day weekend.

The news shocked UFC fans because of Jones’ clean-cut image, which he hasn’t shied from trumpeting. On a conference call last month, Jones explained why he felt the UFC decided to sponsor him for a UFC 145 bout against Rashad Evans.

“I think they trust that I’ll never make them look bad,” Jones said. “You’ll never have to worry about me with a DWI or doing something crazy.”

Jones went on to defeat Evans via unanimous decision in his third-straight title defense since capturing the belt from Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in March 2011.

TMZ reports that Jones’ mother posted his bail after the Broome County Sheriff took him into custody. Binghampton is located about an hour away from Jones’ home in Ithaca, N.Y.

Jones continues to reside in upstate New York when he’s not training for a fight in Albuquerque, N.M.

Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.

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