The charges against UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones stemming from an incident with a drug testing officer will be dismissed as long as he meets the conditions of an agreement reached Tuesday, according to MMA Junkie’s Nolan King.
Jones faced two charges: assault, a petty misdemeanor, and interference with communications, a misdemeanor.
At Jones’ bench trial Tuesday, a Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court judge approved an agreement between prosecutors and the defense. The charges will be dismissed if Jones completes four hours of anger management courses and complies with the law for 90 days.
“I would like to extend my thanks to the justice system for reaching a prompt resolution in this matter, which affirms my innocence and enables me to maintain my focus on the upcoming fight,” Jones wrote in a statement on X.
The charges stemmed from an alleged altercation between Jones and two Drug Free Sport International workers who visited Jones’ Albuquerque home on March 30 to conduct a random drug test.
One of the workers, Crystal Martinez, said in an incident report that Jones threatened her and took her phone during the visit. Martinez said Jones “got in her face” at one point and said, “Why you f—–g people come so early? Do you know what happens to people who come to my house? They end up dead.”
Jones, who pleaded not guilty in July, denied the allegations when they first arose in April. The 37-year-old acknowledged that he did become frustrated with the worker’s “unprofessionalism” and used profanity.
Jones, one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time, is scheduled to return from a 20-month layoff when he defends his heavyweight title for the first time against former champion Stipe Miocic next month. The fight between Jones and Miocic will headline UFC 309, the promotion’s annual event at Madison Square Garden in New York, on Nov. 16. Jones has hinted that he could retire from the sport after that bout.
