Jones says he’s ‘definitely not in any trouble’ after recent charges

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UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is confident he will still fight as planned in December.

Jon Jones claims he is in the clear regarding his battery charge.

Jones, the UFC light heavyweight champion, wrote on social media Monday morning that he is “definitely not in any trouble.” The longtime Jackson-Wink fighter was charged with one count of battery stemming from an incident at an Albuquerque strip club in April—local station KRQE News 13 first reported Sunday night.

“Don’t be so quick to believe everything you read on the internet,” Jones wrote.

A cocktail waitress accused Jones of slapping her and pulling her down to his lap and kissing her neck, per the report. Jones also allegedly placed the waitress in a chokehold and lifted her off the ground and kept touching her despite her request for him to stop.

James Hallinan, a spokesperson for Jones, denied the accusation and said Jones and multiple witnesses “stand ready to factually refute the malicious lies being told about him to the public.” Hallinan said Jones only had heard about the charge when asked about it by KRQE 13 News.

After Jones failed to appear in court for a bond arraignment in June, a bench warrant was issued against him, per online court records. It was lifted Sunday after Jones went to Albuquerque Metropolitan Court and paid a $300 cash bond, per the KRQE News 13 report.

Jones wrote in a second tweet Monday morning that he is “excited to keep climbing” and seems confident he will fight in December.

“I know there’s a whole bunch of people hoping for my downfall but there’s even more who are proud of me and love seeing me do well,” Jones wrote. “And screw staying inside, I love this community.”

Jones’ former college roommate, former UFC interim welterweight champion Colby Covington, was quick to chime in on Jones’ latest run-in with the law. Jones and Covington have gone back and forth on social media and in interviews in recent years, well after both became popular UFC fighters—including Covington accusing Jones of PED use.

“A lot of pundits trying to tarnish the good name of my buddy Jon Jones,” Covington wrote on Twitter. “Can we take a moment & acknowledge: A) At least this time the woman he hit wasn’t pregnant B) Jon was mature enough not to strike her with a car at high speed while intoxicated. Hes making progress people!”

Jones is coming off a split-decision win over Thiago Santos at UFC 239 earlier this month in Las Vegas.