Jon Jones’ drag-racing arrest could jeopardize his April 23 UFC title fight with Daniel Cormier

Jon Jones’ return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship in pursuit of the light-heavyweight belt stripped from him has been jeopardized by his arrest in New Mexico for an alleged probation violation.

Jones, in a video (warning: explicit language) distributed widely on social media, received five tickets from an Albuquerque police officer Thursday night for violations including drag racing. Jones hurled expletives at the officer during the stop and called him a “pig” and a “liar,” contending he only revved his Corvette’s engine while stopped at a traffic light.

A Bernalillo County, N.M., court official told The Times that Jones has a pending court date Thursday morning.

Jones got into trouble driving in Albuquerque last year, crashing his car into that of a pregnant woman, breaking her arm, and then fleeing the scene with cash while some drug paraphernalia was left behind in his car.

He was charged with a felony but escaped jail time in September in a plea deal that included 18 months of supervised probation. Thursday’s incident could be grounds for revocation of his probation and send Jones back to jail to finish his sentence.

Jones, 28, is the UFC’s top pound-for-pound fighter, a wrestling-schooled dynamo capable of creative punches and kicks who’s really never been defeated in the octagon.

But his troubles with drugs were illuminated by a December 2014 screening that showed cocaine in his system. The Nevada State Athletic Commission allowed Jones’ January 2015 fight against Daniel Cormier to proceed because street drugs weren’t supposed to be screened in the test that revealed the cocaine, and the UFC decided that no response was necessary from Jones beyond a one-night stay at a rehab center.

After the traffic accident, however, Jones (21-1) was stripped of his UFC belt and Cormier later elevated to champion, leading to their scheduled April 23 main event at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“UFC is aware that Jon Jones turned himself in to the Albuquerque Police Department [Tuesday] morning for a potential probation violation stemming from a traffic stop last week,” a UFC official wrote in a statement Tuesday. “UFC has been in touch with Jones’ legal team and will have no further comment until the organization has had appropriate time to gather necessary information.”

Jones’ attorney and representatives have told reporters that the fighter did nothing more than rev his engine in last week’s encounter.

“You and I both know that I was not drag racing ... that I did not speed,” Jones told the officer after reviewing his tickets.

“No, sir, I actually know you were drag racing. I watched you do it,” the officer responded. “We’re not having court out here. You have a court date.”