The only cage that UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will be locked in anytime soon will have eight sides and will not feature prison bars.

As expected, the 24-year-old phenom has managed to avoid jail time for a May 19 incident in which he crashed his 2012 Bentley into a utility pole in Binghamton, N.Y.  Instead, the champ faces a fine and several other penalties resulting from the accident, in which Jones was unharmed and two female passengers were treated for minor injuries at a local hospital.

According to pressconnects.com, Binghamton City Court Judge Daniel L. Seiden today sentenced Jones to pay a $1,000 fine.  The judge also suspended Jones’ license for six months and ordered the fighter to have ignition interlocks installed on his vehicles.  Jones will also have to complete a victim-impact panel as a condition of his sentencing.  Additionally, according to the pressconnects.com report, Jones was ordered to pay $6,563.62 in restitution to the utility company.

While Jones might have lost some of his driving privileges, the one thing he did not lose is his opportunity to defend his UFC title.  Jones is still expected to enter the Octagon at UFC 151 on Sept. 1 in Las Vegas to meet Dan Henderson.  Awaiting the victor of that bout will be the winner of the upcoming Aug. 4 UFC on Fox 4 headliner between Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Brandon Vera.

Training might be Jones’ focus at the moment as he prepares for Henderson, but the Jackson’s MMA fighter will have to complete the victim-impact panel portion of his sentence within 90 days.  According to the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) website, the panel is an “awareness program for offenders convicted of misdemeanor driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.”  The panel provides offenders with a glimpse into how their actions behind the wheel can forever change the lives of their victims.

Jones took to Twitter to express his relief at the outcome of his sentencing, and to declare that he is “moving forward.”

Photo: Jon Jones (James Law/Heavy MMA)