Jon Jones forced to pay almost $1.5m to debtors

According to a report from Bloody Elbow, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has been “hit with multiple state and federal tax liens, dating back to December of 2018 and covering the tax years 2014-2016 (federal) and 2015-2017 (state).”

Bloody Elbow’s report on Jones’ debt troubles, which cites official documents, states that the largest of these liens totaled roughly $1.3 million.

Here’s how the IRS describes tax liens, for those without accounting expertise.

A federal tax lien is the government’s legal claim against your property when you neglect or fail to pay a tax debt. The lien protects the government’s interest in all your property, including real estate, personal property and financial assets. A federal tax lien exists after:

The IRS:

• Puts your balance due on the books (assesses your liability);
• Sends you a bill that explains how much you owe (Notice and Demand for Payment); and

You:

• Neglect or refuse to fully pay the debt in time.

According to Bloody Elbow’s report, Jon Jones also owes a few hundred dollars worth of delinquent utility fees to the city of Albuquerque. He also reportedly had a storage unit auctioned off for nonpayment.

Jon Jones has had a busy few months, and not just outside the cage.

In late 2018, he returned from a lengthy absence and defeated one of his chief rivals, Alexander Gustafsson, by TKO to reclaim the UFC light heavyweight title. Jones then defended the title with a pair of decision defeats of former middleweights Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos.

Based on the amount of debt he’s had to pay off recently, it’s probably safe to assume he’s eager to fight — and get paid — again soon.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 10/16/2019.