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UFC Champion Jon Jones To Take Anger Management To Solve Assault Case
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UFC Champion Jon Jones To Take Anger Management To Solve Assault Case

UFC heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones will attend four hours of anger management classes to resolve two misdemeanor charges after he acted in a hostile manner at his New Mexico home during a test drug testing.

The charges – assault, classified as a misdemeanor, and interference with communication, a misdemeanor – will be dismissed on the condition that Jones completes anger management classes and follows the law within the next 90 days.

Initially, a bench trial was scheduled to begin Tuesday before a New Mexico judge. However, the prosecutor and Jones’ defense attorney announced at the start of the virtual proceeding that a resolution had been reached.

Jones previously pleaded not guilty to the charges in July, calling the allegations baseless when they first emerged earlier this year.

Jon Jones, light heavyweight champion
Jon Jones attends a press conference for the UFC 235 mixed martial arts event in Las Vegas on January 31, 2019. He agreed to take four hours of anger management classes.

John Locher/AP, file

When is Jon Jones’ next match against Stipe Miocic?

Jones expressed his frustration on social media, criticizing the professionalism of drug testers and admitting to swearing out of irritation.

Considered one of the best fighters in mixed martial arts history, Jones won the heavyweight title in March 2023, scoring a first-round submission victory over Ciryl Gane.

This fight marked his return after a three-year hiatus and his debut in the heavyweight division, adding to his legacy as a record-holding light heavyweight champion with 14 title defenses.

Looking ahead, Jones is expected to face Stipe Miocic at CFU 309 on November 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

The fight was originally scheduled for last year, but a pectoral injury forced Jones to postpone.

Why was Jon Jones put on trial?

Jones has had a tumultuous past, including a one-year suspension in 2016 for a failed drug test.

Additionally, a victory in 2017 over Daniel Cormier was canceled following another positive drug test.

Jones has since argued that under revised standards introduced by the US Anti-Doping Agency in 2019, he would have passed those tests.

The current situation arose when a woman from Drug Free Sport International, the organization responsible for conducting drug tests for professional athletes, reported an incident to Albuquerque police in April.

She accused Jones of threatening her during the testing process at her home.

How serious are the allegations?

According to the criminal complaint, the woman initially found Jones cooperative, but said he became agitated as the interaction progressed.

In his defense, Jones told police he apologized for swearing at the woman and her co-worker after the test.

He also provided video footage from what appeared to be a home surveillance system, showing a moment where he and the woman exchanged a high-five before he left, saying neither tester seemed scared during the encounter.

This article contains additional reporting from the Associated Press.