Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Jon Jones Has Released a Statement After News Broke That he Has Been Charged With the Assault of a Strip Club Waitress… 

Jon Jones just can’t stay away from trouble – even if it’s not of his own making. The volatile UFC light-heavyweight champion has been charged with one count of battery after a strip club waitress pressed charges following an incident that allegedly went down in April.

According to the statement, Jones was at a strip club in Albuquerque, New Mexico, home to the MMA gym Jackson-Wink, where he trains. The waitress accused him of kissing her without consent, pulling her onto his lap, lifting her up and choking her, and generally continuing to touch her without permission.

The married father of three is insisting that he’s innocent and has now released a statement about what went down. He’s still hoping to fight again this year.

Innocent

Jones is adamant that he’s done nothing wrong and he tweeted a couple of times to make that clear. He is pushing for a return in December although at this point it is unknown who he wants to fight. A move up to the heavyweight division has been discussed. He wrote these two messages:

“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. And screw staying inside, I love this community… excited to keep climbing, haters going to be mad when I win in December”

“I’m definitely not in any trouble my friend, don’t be so quick to believe everything you read on the Internet.”

Statement

One of Jones’s legal representatives also released a statement. They are emphatically denying that anything untoward happened involving the fighter. He was supposed to have appeared at a bond arraignment back in June, but the letter bounced back to the court. Jones paid the $300 when it finally arrived on Sunday. He first heard about the charge through the media. Maybe he should just stay out of strip clubs though…

“Today, the media told Mr. Jones about a false accusation launched against him and that paperwork had been sent to an incorrect address,” James Hallinan said in a statement sent to KRQE 13 News. “However, after receiving the documents from the press, Mr. Jones immediately went to pay the small fee, and he, and multiple witnesses, stand ready to factually refute the malicious lies being told about him to the public.”

Jon Jones fights Daniel Cormier. Mandatory Credit: Gary Vasquez, USA TODAY Sports.

Comeback

A lot of people have been commenting on the champion’s predicament on social media. We can’t believe we’re saying this, but Colby Covington had one of the best responses to Jones’s latest legal mishap. ‘Chaos’ is not everybody’s favourite UFC fighter – in fact he’s about as likeable as genital herpes – but this tweet was genuinely really funny. He wrote:

“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!”

Ouch. The former interim welterweight champion does have a point though. You can’t blame him for wanting to rub salt into Jones’s wounds.

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