'Nothing to hide:' Jeremy Stephens is still in jail, releases first statement since arrest

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight Jeremy Stephens is still in jail.

"Lil' Heathen" was arrested last Friday (Oct. 5, 2012) by police in Minnesota, just hours before his scheduled fight against Yves Edwards at the UFC on FX 5: "Browne vs. Silva" event from the Target Center in Minneapolis. Stephens was picked up for an outstanding warrant stemming from a 2011 assault charge in Iowa.

Today, agents for the incarcerated fighter have released an official statement:

In 2011, Jeremy was attending a homecoming party in Des Moines, Iowa. A person in attendance became intoxicated and disorderly, and was asked to leave by the owner of the establishment. The intoxicated individual subsequently became involved in a physical altercation with another person at the event. We have learned that, as the featured guest at the party, Jeremy's name came up during the police investigation of the assault.

Prior to being detained the morning of October 5, 2012, in Minneapolis, Jeremy had never been arrested in connection with the assault, contacted about any possible charge and or notified about any outstanding warrant by mail or any other means. Jeremy has lived at the same residence in San Diego and has maintained the same phone number for the past year or more. Jeremy also uses social media to provide updates on his training, and to thank fans, supporters, sponsors, and the UFC. In short, Jeremy is not a hard guy to find.

There is nothing to hide, so we will keep everyone updated as things progress.

Read the full statement here.

After Stephens was transported to the Hennepin County Public Safety Facility, UFC President Dana White tried to secure his fighter's release with a blank check -- just long enough to fight -- but authorities were not interested in helping the Las Vegas fight boss in his quest to prove the media wrong.

At the time of this article, "Lil' Heathen" is still behind bars, where he will likely remain until he gets shipped back to Iowa to answer for his charges.

More on this story in the coming days, Maniacs. Stay tuned.