UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones entered a plea of not guilty on a pair of misdemeanor charges against him during a virtual hearing in a New Mexico court on Wednesday.
Judge Brittany Maldonado Malott oversaw the proceedings with Jones present on the virtual hearing alongside his attorney Christopher Dodd. Jones plead not guilty to a petty misdemeanor for assault and a misdemeanor for interference with communications following an alleged altercation with drug testing agents who visited his home back in March.
As conditions for his continued release pending a bench trial — with a date still to be determined — Jones was ordered by the court to not violate any laws, he’s not to possess any firearms or dangerous weapons, he’s not allowed to possess or consume any alcohol or illegal drugs, he has to notify the court if his address changes, he has to maintain contact with his attorney and he has to “avoid all contact” with the alleged victims in the case.
Jones’ attorney also explained why a warrant was originally issued in the case after the veteran UFC fighter missed a prior hearing and that was due to his name and address being recorded incorrectly by the court. Once Jones learned what happened, he reached out to his attorney and they immediately contacted the court to ensure all the proper information was provided.
The charges against Jones stem from an alleged incident with a pair of agents representing Drug Free Sport, who arrived at his house on March 30 to collect a sample as part of the UFC’s anti-doping agency.
One of the agents involved identified in the police report as Crystal Martinez claimed that Jones “appeared agitated” after he was unable to provide a urine sample and was offered the opportunity for a blood test instead.
Martinez then claimed Jones then began asking them questions including “if they had money” because he was going to sue them. She also claimed that Jones allegedly grabbed her phone and “started recording them.”
Martinez told police she was “terrified” with Jones standing less than a foot away from her during the alleged incident and she was “afraid Jones might hit her” after she contemplated terminating the drug test and leaving his property.
In response to the initial allegations, Jones vehemently denied the account from his interaction with the drug testing agents.
“I was recently visited by testers while I was celebrating a birthday and taking a nap,” Jones said in April. “Upon waking up, I was caught off guard by the unprofessionalism and protocol by one of the testers, which caused frustration leading me to use some profanity I regret. However, I want to emphasize that at no point did I threaten, get in anyone’s face, raise my voice to anyone, or engage in any form of assault.
“It’s unfortunate that false news has been spread without proper fact-checking. I want to assure you that I will vigorously defend myself against these baseless accusations. The truth is, the incident simply did not occur.”
If Jones is convicted on both charges, he could face less than a year total in jail and fines totaling $1,500.
Jones is currently in early preparations for his expected return to the UFC after a torn pectoral muscle knocked him out of his previously scheduled bout in 2023. The reigning UFC heavyweight champion is currently expected to face Stipe Miocic in a title fight with all signs pointing at a date in November at Madison Square Garden in New York.
