UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor charges during his arraignment in a Bernalillo County, New Mexico, court on Wednesday.
Jones, 36, appeared online with his attorney, Christopher Dodd, at the hearing, which was presided over by Judge Brittany Maldonado-Marotto. Jones pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of assault and interference with communications. Details of the hearing were first reported by MMA Fighting.
Jones was released on bail and Judge Malott ruled that conditions of his continued release are that he not break any laws, possess any firearms or consume any alcohol or illegal drugs. He also must have no contact with the victim in the case.
Jones is awaiting trial before a bench judge, but no date had been set at Wednesday's hearing.
The charges stem from an alleged altercation with two UFC anti-doping testers from Drug Free Sports International at Jones' Albuquerque home on March 30. One of the testers alleged that Jones threatened him and took his cell phone while he was taking a urine sample. The tester also said that Jones appeared intoxicated and smelled intoxicated.
The employee alleges that Jones put her cell phone in his pocket, “got in her face” and said, “Why are you coming so early? Do you know what happens to people that come to my house? They end up dead.”
Jones quickly denied the allegations after reports of the incident surfaced and released home security camera footage that appeared to show him high-fiving an employee.
Jones, who turns 37 on July 19, is in the midst of an extended hiatus since winning the vacant UFC heavyweight title with a first-round submission win over Ciril Gane in March 2023. Jones was scheduled to defend the belt against former champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 last November, but the fight was canceled with three weeks to go after he ruptured his pectoral tendon during training.
The Jones-Miocic fight has been rescheduled and is widely expected to be the main event of UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden in New York in November.
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