Jon Jones has addressed the viral road rage clip out of Albuquerque, saying he felt “proud” of how he handled the confrontation and framing it as standing up to intimidation on the road.
The incident took place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, near the intersection of Central Avenue and Eubank, an area Jones has long called home during his UFC career. Nineteen-year-old Bryan Beltran posted video of the encounter on Instagram, saying a black Ford SVT pickup “almost hit” him three times as they drove along Central before both vehicles pulled into a nearby parking lot.
In his caption, Beltran claimed he reacted after repeated near misses, writing that while driving up Central close to Eubank he was “almost hit 3 times by the truck,” and that even after he revved his engine the first time, the other driver still nearly struck him twice more, which led him to flip the driver off.
Beltran later identified the other driver as Jon Jones and described himself as having “no hard feelings,” portraying the exchange as tense but brief once both men were out of their vehicles.
In the clip, recorded on Beltran’s Meta smart glasses, Jones steps out of his truck and walks toward the other car with his left hand in his pocket. Beltran can be heard saying Jones “almost” hit him with the truck, while Jones replies, “You gotta calm down, bro. You gotta relax yourself, bro,” before turning away.
As the exchange winds down, Jones raises his middle finger toward the camera, then returns to his vehicle and leaves the parking lot without further escalation. The tone of the video has split opinion online, with some focusing on the gesture and others noting that Jones did not shout, shove, or advance beyond the brief verbal back-and-forth.
Jon Jones Breaks His Silence on Road Rage Incident
After the footage went viral, Jones posted his own version of events on Twitter/X, accusing the younger driver of being the aggressor once the initial incident on the road began. “This kid proceeded to chase my car down for two blocks, revving his engine and trying to intimidate me,” Jones wrote, adding that he was “glad this happened to me and not one of the senior citizens in our community.”
“This kid proceeded to chase my car down for two blocks, revving his engine and trying to intimidate me. I am glad this happened to me and not one of the senior citizens in our community. I am proud of myself for standing up for myself and not allowing that kind of bullying or intimidation.”
Jon Jones’ History
The road rage clip lands in the shadow of Jones’ long and troubled record away from the cage, especially behind the wheel. In 2015, he received probation for a hit-and-run incident involving a pregnant woman in New Mexico, and in 2025 he faced a misdemeanor leaving-the-scene charge from a separate crash in Bernalillo County before prosecutors later dismissed the case after finding his alibi credible.
That history is a big reason this short parking-lot exchange has triggered a debate, with fans and critics arguing over whether this was a composed response to provocation or another worrying chapter in a pattern that continues to follow one of MMA’s greatest champions.
