Jones has pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor charges stemming from an encounter with drug testers at his Albuquerque, New Mexico, home earlier this year.
Jones pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor assault and misdemeanor interference with communications during a virtual hearing in Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court on Wednesday. Jones appeared with his attorney, Christopher Dodd, and Judge Brittany Maldonado presided over the hearing.
A date for the judge’s trial has yet to be set. Until that date, the conditions of Jones’ release are as follows: Jones is not permitted to possess any firearms or dangerous weapons, is not permitted to possess or consume alcohol or illegal drugs, must notify the court of any change of address, and must maintain contact with his attorney. Additionally, Jones must avoid contact with the alleged victims in this case.
If Jones is convicted on both charges, he could face up to a year in prison and a $1,500 fine. The news was first reported by MMAFighting.com.
The case stems from an incident between Jones and an agent from UFC’s new anti-doping partner, Drug Free Sport International (DFSI). According to a police report, a drug testing agent calling herself Crystal Martinez visited Jones’ home on March 30 to take a sample as part of UFC’s anti-doping program. Martinez claimed Jones was initially cooperative but became upset after initially failing to provide a urine sample. When Martinez offered to take a blood sample instead, Jones threatened to sue, took her cell phone, and began recording Martinez and a colleague. Jones then put the phone in her pocket and got in Martinez’s face, according to the report.
Martinez told police she was “scared” but chose to go ahead with the drug test because she didn’t want to further upset Jones due to the possibility of being penalized by the UFC. Jones was eventually able to provide a urine sample, and Martinez obtained her cell phone during that time. Martinez texted her concerns to her supervisor, who she named as Pearson Laughlin, but was reluctant to speak to Laughlin, fearing Jones would “attack me if he saw I was on the phone.”
Jones, on the other hand, denied threatening the investigators and said the interaction ended “amicably and peacefully.” In his statement to police, Jones acknowledged that he felt “annoyed” by the investigators’ arrival and that he used foul language during the sample collection process. However, he reiterated that he never threatened anyone during the incident.
Jones, who is recovering from a torn pectoral muscle suffered last year, is scheduled to defend his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic later this year, likely at the UFC pay-per-view in New York in November. UFC ended its affiliation with previous anti-doping partner USADA last year but will continue its program with new anti-doping partner DFSI beginning in early 2024.
