Breaking: Jon Jones Fights Allegations of Aggression During …
UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to two misdemeanor charges linked to a drug test at his home in New Mexico, where he was accused of being hostile.
During a virtual hearing, Jones appeared alongside his attorney, who entered the pleas on his behalf. The judge in Albuquerque granted the attorney’s request to allow Jones to remain free while awaiting trial on charges of assault and interference with communication related to the March testing session.
Jones has pledged to contest the charges, calling them baseless when they first surfaced. He took to social media to express his frustration, citing the unprofessionalism of one of the testers and admitting he cursed after becoming aggravated.
“However, I want to stress that at no time did I threaten anyone, get in anyone’s face, raise my voice, or commit any form of assault,” Jones said in a social media post.
Regarded as one of the top MMA fighters, Jones claimed the heavyweight title over a year ago with a first-round submission of Ciryl Gane. This was Jones’ first fight in three years and his debut in the heavyweight division, having already established himself as the best light heavyweight with a record 14 title fights.
Jones was suspended for a year in 2016 due to a failed drug test and had his 2017 victory over Daniel Cormier changed to a no contest after another positive drug test. Jones later argued that he would have passed under the 2019 revised standards of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which altered the criteria for a positive test.