“If he catches one of those bad guys…”

UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith sympathizes with his former opponent Jon Jones as he battles his latest legal battle.

The reigning heavyweight champion has once again become the subject of worrying allegations, this time involving an agent of Drug Free Sport International – the organization that administers the UFC’s new anti-doping program.

The alleged victim claims Jones threatened to kill her and took her phone when she and a co-worker showed up at his home to test him. “Bones” is alleged to have said, “Do you know what happens to people who come to my house? They end up dead.”

Several months after details of the alleged incident became known, Jones was formally charged with assault (a minor misdemeanor) and interference with telecommunications (a misdemeanor).

Unsurprisingly, the MMA star is questioning the tester’s version of events, having continued to deny everything in the days following the allegations first emerging. And with his own experience with drug testers in the past, a former opponent of Jones appears to be backing him up…

Smith on Jones’ drug testing allegations: “Sometimes they can be assholes …”

In a recent episode of Michael Bisping’s Do you trust me In his podcast, Smith responded to the allegations against Jones, which represent the latest out-of-cage controversy surrounding his former rival.

“Lionheart,” who unsuccessfully challenged for Jones’ light heavyweight title in 2019, explained why he felt compelled to support Jones after the allegations became known, noting that not every tester is well-mannered and values ​​the fighters’ time.

“I kind of defended him at the beginning because the whole drug testing thing is a real pain,” Smith said. “I’ve always been lucky that my drug testers have always been pretty cool. They’re pretty respectful of your time and the inconvenience they’re putting you through. They always come and say, ‘Hey, I know it’s not the best time, sorry, let me take this sample and we’ll get out of here.’ But I’ve had one before… not here at home or in Denver, but I was just out somewhere and they find this random person, someone you’ve never had before, and sometimes they can be assholes. They’re so power-hungry… like they want to boss you around.

“If he (Jones) got one of those bad tests… because he’s a little hot-headed sometimes, I can understand him freaking out and going crazy,” Smith continued. “And apparently he was having a party, so I think he was drinking and had some friends over. They showed up, started acting like assholes, were kind of disrespectful at times, I could see him freaking out. But when you start touching people and taking their phones and stuff, that’s a problem. But if (the testers) were acting like assholes to him, then it’s kind of his right. That’s not illegal.”

Days after the charges were confirmed, Jones appeared in Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court for a bail hearing on Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to the charges.

After the conditions of his release are set, the UFC star’s single-judge trial is scheduled for 30 to 45 days.