Football player-turned-actor Vinnie Jones was in court on Thursday to defend himself against the assault charges in connection to the December bar brawl in Sioux Falls.

Vinnie Jones says the bar fight which left him needing 48 stitches on his face was entirely unprovoked. The "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" star - who was charged with simple assault for the incident in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, last week - insists he was "stitched up" by Juan Barrera, who had previously claimed Vinnie turned on him after he called the actor "that guy from 'X-Men.'"

Vinnie Jones could spend a year in jail after allegedly punching a man in the face during a bar fight. The "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" star - who took up acting after retiring from soccer - is said to have charged at a fellow drinker following a dispute after a game of pool at Wiley's Tavern, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, last week.