Felony assault and burglary charges against Jeremy Stephens dropped

Felony assault and burglary charges stemming from a 2011 incident against UFC lightweight turned featherweight Jeremy Stephens, 27, have been dropped, according to Stephens' manager Ryan Hass.

Stephens and a friend, Dustin James Bachman, 27, were originally arrested in October of 2011 in Des Moines, Iowa, along with a man described as Stephens' friend. According to early reports, both Stephens and Bachman assaulted another male to the point where police reports indicate the victim stopped breathing twice.

On the evening of the incident, Bachman was charged with willful injury and assault causing bodily harm. Stephens, however, only spoke with authorities. He was neither arrested nor taken into custody on the evening of the incident.

Stephens, who normally calls San Diego, Calif. home, was eventually arrested just hours prior to his scheduled bout with Yves Edwards at UFC on FX 5 in Minneapolis, Minnesota on October 5, 2012. A warrant was issued in Polk County, Iowa for Stephens' arrest sometime after the original incident in question, but could only be enforced in that or surrounding states. Local law enforcement made the arrest and later transferred Stephens to Iowa before the fighter could eventually make bail.

Stephens has publicly maintained his innocence, both releasing a statement and video regarding the issue. According to Hass, Polk County prosecutors offered Stephens a number of plea deals that would include no jail time, but the fighter refused, preferring to have the matter decided in court.

Hass tells MMA Fighting prosecutors dropped all assault and burglary charges Monday on the first day of the trial. Stephens instead plead guilty to one count of misdemeanor disorderly conduct, which called for a sentence of time already served and an unspecified fine. Hass says Stephens is facing no other unresolved legal issues.

Stephens is 21-9 in professional mixed martial arts. He most recently competed at UFC 160 in May where he won a unanimous decision victory in his featherweight debut over Estavan Payan.