Sherdog.com’s 2015 Story of the Year

5. Jon Jones Runs Off the Rails

For Jon Jones, 2015 began in promising fashion.

In fact, it was much more than promising. After a drawn-out feud with Daniel Cormier that included a media-day brawl, a shockingly candid hot mic exchange and a confrontation between the fighters’ camps, Jones handled business the only way he knows how at UFC 182, taking a dominant five-round verdict over his rival.

After just one fight in 2014, “Bones” seemed primed for a big year. While Jones did remain in headlines, he was usually a trending topic for all the wrong reasons.

Jones’ rocky 2015 began shortly after UFC 182, as it was revealed that he tested positive for cocaine metabolites during a pre-fight drug test. The light heavyweight champion immediately checked into a rehabilitation facility, announcing that “I am taking this treatment program very seriously.”

However, just one day after checking into rehab, Jones was gone, off to watch his brothers compete against each other in the AFC Championship game.

“Me and my husband considered it a blessing from God that our child was able to be helped and know that he needed to stop and know that he needed the assistance to stop before it came to something worse,” Jones’ mom told a local New York television station.

Unfortunately for Jones, things got much worse some three months later, when he ran a red light and drove a rented Buick SUV into another car driven by a pregnant woman in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Jones then allegedly fled the scene, only to return to grab a handful of cash from his car before fleeing again. The driver of the other vehicle suffered a broken arm in the collision, and Jones eventually turned himself in to Albuquerque police. After his arrest, Jones, who was supposed to defend his 205-pound belt against Anthony Johnson at UFC 187, was stripped of the title and suspended indefinitely by the Las Vegas-based promotion. In his absence, vanquished foe Cormier submitted Johnson to become the undisputed light heavyweight king.

“Got a lot of soul searching to do,” Jones wrote on Twitter. “Sorry to everyone I’ve let down.”

In September, Jones pleaded guilty to fleeing the scene of an accident in Albuquerque’s Second Judicial District Court. He received 18 months’ probation and as part of those terms was required to make 72 appearances doing charity work and speaking with children. Most importantly for Jones, he was able to avoid a felony conviction.

Shortly thereafter, Jones was reinstated by the UFC, bringing a close to a tumultuous chapter in the New York native’s life. These days, Jones’ social media posts either show him speaking to children at various New Mexico schools -- part of his probation -- or setting personal records in the weight room. With his life seemingly in order, the ex-champ has teased an April return to the Octagon.