UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith sympathizes with former opponent Jon Jones as he battles his latest legal case.
The reigning heavyweight champion has once again found himself the subject of concerning allegations, this time involving a female agent for Drug Free Sport International — the organization that administers the UFC’s new anti-doping program.
The alleged victim claims Jones threatened her life and took away her phone when she and a colleague turned up to his house to test him. "Bones" is accused of remarking, “Do you know what happens to people who come to my house? They end up dead.”
A few months on from details of the alleged incident emerging, Jones has officially been charged with assault, a petty misdemeanor, and interference with communications, a misdemeanor.
The MMA great is unsurprisingly challenging the tester's account of events, having been firm with his denial in the days after the accusations initially emerged. And having had his own experience with drug testers in the past, one former opponent of Jones' appears to support him...
Smith On Jones' Drug-Tester Charges: 'Sometimes They Can Be Assholes...'
During a recent episode of Michael Bisping's Believe You Me podcast, Smith reacted to the charges against Jones, which mark the latest controversy outside of the cage involving his ex-rival.
"Lionheart," who unsuccessfully challenged for Jones' light heavyweight title back in 2019, explained why he was compelled to support Jones following news of the charges, noting that not every tester is well-mannered and appreciative of fighters' time.
I kind of stuck up for him at the beginning because it is a pain in the ass to do the whole drug-testing thing," Smith said. "I’ve always been lucky that my drug testers have always been pretty cool. They’re fairly respectful of your time, they’re fairly respectful of the inconvenience that they’re creating for you. So they always show up like, 'Hey, I know it’s not the best time, sorry, let me get this sample and we’ll get out of here.' But I have had one...not here at home or in Denver, but just been out somewhere and they find this random person, somebody you’ve never had before, and sometimes they can be assholes. They have this power trip...like they want to boss you around.
If he (Jones) got one of those bad ones...because he’s a little bit hot-headed at times, I can understand him kind of flipping out and going off," Smith continued. "And apparently he was having a party, so I think he was drinking and had some friends over. They show up, started to be assholes, kind of being disrespectful at times, I could see him kind of going off. But once you start touching people and taking their phones and stuff, that’s a problem. But if (the testers were) being an asshole to him, then it’s kind of in his right. That’s not illegal.
Days on from the charges being confirmed, Jones appeared at Bernalillo Country Metropolitan Court on Wednesday for his bail arraignment, pleading not guilty to the misdemeanors.
Having had the conditions for his ongoing release set, the UFC star will have his bench trial scheduled for a date between 30 and 45 days down the line.
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