Jon Jones ordered to attend anger management class

Former UFC champion Jon Jones appeared before a judge in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Thursday and was ordered to enlist in a driver improvement course, anger management class and 60 hours of community service.

The Bernalillo District Attorney's Office also requested Jones be placed under curfew, however Jones' defense successfully argued against it. According to a court spokesperson, Jones is expected to be released from a local detention center later Thursday.

Jones, 28, was arrested Tuesday for violating probation. He is currently serving an 18-month supervised probation sentence, which stems from a felony hit-and-run charge for which he entered into a plea agreement last year. In February, Jones was pulled over and received citations for driving without a license, registration or proof of insurance. Those citations did not trigger a violation of his probation, but last week, Jones was pulled over again in downtown Albuquerque and issued a ticket for drag racing.

Jones, who is originally from New York, has adamantly denied he was drag racing, saying he simply revved the engine of his white Corvette to acknowledge a nearby fan. Footage released by the Albuquerque Police Department shows Jones arguing with the officer who pulled him over, at one point calling him "a f---ing liar." Jones has since apologized for those comments but maintains his innocence.

Although Judge Michael Martinez ruled against enforcing a curfew on Jones, he did order the fighter to not drive a vehicle without approval from his probation officer. The judge placed no travel restrictions on Jones as a condition of release, meaning he should be free to travel to Las Vegas for a scheduled title fight against Daniel Cormier at UFC 197 on April 23.

Before Jones left the courtroom, Martinez stated to Jones, "If you do come back, it won't go well."

Despite the potential distraction of the recent events, Jones remains focused on the April 23 title fight, according to a prepared statement from his representatives at EAG Sports Management.

"Jon is focused on the fight, and we are focused on the traffic charges that were brought against him," the statement read. "We are confident that those charges will be dismissed because they are baseless.

"More importantly, however, Jon has done extremely well while he's been under supervision. He has been sober for more than 6 months, and he has completed more than 100 hours of community service, working with those most at need in New Mexico: our youth."

The UFC said later that Jones' title fight is still on.

"The organization was disappointed to learn that Jones was cited for several traffic offenses last week, as well as concerned by the nature and tone of portions of the conversation between Jones and the citing officer," the UFC said in a statement. "Still, UFC respects Jones' right to contest those traffic citations in court and receive a fair hearing on the matter. Jones' scheduled bout on April 23 will proceed as planned, however, Jones understands that the UFC expects him to fully cooperate with the terms of his probation as set forth by Judge Martinez."

Last April, Jones became the first champion in UFC history to be stripped of his title for disciplinary reasons, after he fled the scene of a three-car accident that left a pregnant woman injured. At a news conference earlier this month, Jones said he was sober for the first time in his athletic career. His defense made mention of that during court proceedings on Thursday as well.