NEW YORK — Sean "Puffy" Combs became the star witness of his own defense Thursday as he took the stand, swore to tell the truth, and calmly denied nearly every aspect of the prosecution's case against him.

His lawyer then rested his case without calling Combs' ex-girlfriend, Jennifer Lopez, to the stand. Lawyer Benjamin Brafman earlier had said he might call the pop singer and actress to testify after Combs.

Under gentle questioning from his lawyer, Combs said he "absolutely" never had a gun on the night of the Club New York shooting. Several witness have testified they saw him with a gun either during or just before the shootings. Combs also said he never tried to bribe driver Wardel Fenderson to claim ownership of the gun police found in his Lincoln Navigator.

Combs said his confrontation with Matthew "Scar" Allen at Club New York, which witnesses have said led to the shootings, was one-sided, with Allen screaming at him while Combs tried to figure out why.

"I couldn't tell what he was saying, but it wasn't nice, by his body language … it wasn't good," Combs said. "It was coming in a real aggressive way. It was very aggressive." The rap mogul said he didn't see who fired shots at the club, but when he heard them, "I just thought I was being shot at." Echoing other defense witnesses, Combs said he dropped to the floor when he heard the shots. Bodyguard Anthony "Wolf" Jones fell on top of Combs, he said, adding that he didn't know if security guard Cherise Myers fell on top of him as well (see "Bystanders Pushed Puffy To Floor During Shooting, Guard Says").

Combs said that before he left the club in the Lincoln Navigator, he had not been in the SUV that evening. Fenderson, the driver, had testified that he'd seen Combs put a gun in his waistband while seated in the back of the SUV before heading to the club.

Once Combs was in the Navigator after the shooting, he testified, he never told Fenderson not to stop for red lights and never demanded that Fenderson find or open a secret compartment in the car.

Combs said he is "absolutely, positively certain" that he never opened the window on the SUV in order to throw out a gun or for any other reason. Combs also offered innocent explanations for each of his conversations with Fenderson after the shooting, during which Fenderson claims he tried to bribe him.

Prosecutor Matthew Bogdanos began his cross-examination of Combs by accusing him of rehearsing his testimony before the trial, just as he would rehearse a song before recording it. The comparison seemed to fall flat, however, as Combs said he never rehearsed before entering the studio.

Bogdanos continued his cross-examination throughout the afternoon, demanding that Combs break down his account of the events of December 26-27, 1999, minute by minute, but Combs didn't stray significantly from his story. Bogdanos asked Combs a series of accusatory questions about the his 1995 confrontation with New York Post photographer Gary Miller, who accused Combs of threatening him with a gun. But Combs, who had looked nervous before his testimony, remained almost eerily calm under Bogdanos' increasingly harsh interrogation. He spoke in the placid tones that he'd used throughout, as he denied having a gun that day in 1995. Judge Charles Solomon earlier ruled that Bogdanos couldn't ask Combs about any of his encounters with the law, other than the Miller incident. After he finished testifying around 5 p.m., Combs seemed pleased with his performance, hugging Brafman in apparent relief Bodyguard Anthony "Wolf" Jones' defense also rested Thursday, although Jamal "Shyne" Barrow's lawyer, Murray Richman, is expected to present witnesses on Friday and Monday. Shyne is accused of firing a 9mm gun inside the club on December 27, 1999, and is on trial for attempted murder. Combs is not charged with shooting a weapon, but faces gun possession and bribery counts. (Click HERE for a complete explanation of the charges in the case. Click HERE our complete trial coverage.)