UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones is facing accusations of assault and interference with communications from a drug-testing agent, but he has not been arrested or taken into custody and has denied the allegations.
Jon Jones, the UFC heavyweight champ, is in a bit of a pickle. He’s been accused of assaulting a drug-testing agent. But, he’s not been arrested or taken into custody.
Over the weekend, NBC News got it wrong. They said Jones was arrested after a report from a Drug Free Sport agent. The agent said she was “terrified” after Jones allegedly took her phone and threatened her life. This led to a summons with two charges – assault and interference with communications.
But here’s the thing. Representatives from Bernalillo County in New Mexico and the Albuquerque Police confirmed that Jones wasn’t arrested or taken into custody.
Jones himself took to social media to clear the air. He’s planning to fight the charges, he says.
“I woke up to false reports that I had been arrested,” Jones tweeted. “I have not been arrested. In fact, I am currently in Texas with my daughters at a volleyball tournament.” He admits it’s disappointing to have to clarify these things again, given his past issues.
He was recently visited by testers while he was celebrating a birthday and taking a nap. He was caught off guard by the unprofessionalism and protocol by one of the testers which caused frustration. He did use some profanity, he admits, but he never threatened or assaulted anyone.
The Albuquerque Police issued an updated version of the report initially filed by the drug-testing agent. In the report, a police officer spoke to Jones over the phone and took notes regarding his response to the allegations.
Jones claimed he was “bothered a little because he had been hungover from the night before”. He had read the report that the drug-testing agent gave to the UFC and called her “a liar”. He stated that “he never made any threats of harming anyone or killing them.”
In the original report, the drug-testing agent, identified as Crystal Martinez, stated that Jones told her “why you f****** people come so early, do you know what happens to people who come to my house … they end up dead.”
Jones denied saying that. He did tell the agents, “tell everyone at headquarters not to send people to my home so early because it could be a dangerous environment.” He meant that “a party could be occurring” at his house or “multiple people could be there.”
Jones admitted that he did use profanities toward the drug-testing agent but claimed he later apologized for swearing at them. He also denied taking Martinez’s phone or putting in his pocket as she alleged in her initial report to police.
Before leaving, Jones claimed that it seemed like the situation was over after he high-fived Martinez and hugged her co-worker who came along to collect his urine sample.
Jones posted security camera footage from his home along with his original statement on Saturday, and he was provided a link by police to upload that footage for the case files.
As of Sunday, there are still no official charges showing against Jones in the online records available for Bernalillo County in New Mexico. UFC officials acknowledged a request for comment from MMA Fighting regarding the situation involving Jones but have not responded as of this publication.