Yesterday, news broke that UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones had entered rehab, per Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports. The reason? On December 4, 2014, Jones tested positive for benzoylecgonine, a cocaine metabolite.
Needless to say, this is a surprising turn for a fighter who has consistently attempted to cultivate a positive image.
Also coming as something of a surprise, however, is that Jones’ recent fight, opposite Daniel Cormier, was allowed to go down less than a month after he tested positive for metabolites that come from a hard recreational drug.
Iole explains how this happened: “The Nevada commission follows the World Anti-Doping Agency code and benzoylecgonine is not banned out-of-competition. As a result, the commission was unable to penalize Jones or prevent him from fighting despite knowing of the positive test.”
Reactions have been mixed, but support for Jones from the Zuffa offices has been unanimous. In the UFC’s official statement, they said:
While we are disappointed in the failed test, we applaud him for making this decision to enter a drug treatment facility. Jon is a strong, courageous fighter inside the Octagon, and we expect him to fight this issue with the same poise and diligence. We commend him on his decision, and look forward to him emerging from this program a better man as a result.
UFC president Dana White chimed in, “I am proud of Jon Jones for making the decision to enter a drug treatment facility. I’m confident that he’ll emerge from this program like the champion he truly is.”
Cormier issued a short, classy response to Jones’ drug test failure, saying to MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani, “I am aware of Jon’s test, and if there is anything to say, it is this: There are a lot of people you impact, so please let’s get it together. Good luck on your rehab!”
Various fighters chimed in on Twitter to discuss both Jones and the odd news that the fight was allowed to go down in spite of the failed drug test. Numerous fighters questioned how functionally testing positive for cocaine use can carry no punishment, while marijuana use long carried a stiff penalty:
@ufc @danawhite you dumb bitches fire me for weed while you allow fighters to use hard drugs with zero consequences. #ufcistrash
— matthew riddle (@riddletuf7) January 6, 2015
Steroids no caffinee no weed no cocaine…. Eh it slide
— DaMarques Johnson (@DaMarques_UFC) January 6, 2015
COCAINE= 0 FINE, 0 PENALTY, 0 SUSPENSION, 0 FIRED, 0 REPREMANDING WEED= CAREER CRUCIFIXION, FINE, FIRED, SHUNNED, OSTRACIZED, RUINED! ????
— Pat Barry (@HypeOrDie) January 7, 2015
Some fighters were quick to chastise Jones. Bellator lightweight champion Will Brooks questioned the sincerity of Jones’ entry to rehab and claimed it was a public relations play.
Ben Askren, who was feuding with Jones just days earlier, took a subtle swipe at Jones.
It wasn’t all hate thrown Jones’ way, however, as fighters came out to express their support for him:
Life is a learning experience. Support to my bro @JonnyBones. Just a WAKE UP call from God. #BonesStrong #UFC
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) January 6, 2015
Dam I hope the best for @JonnyBones and he beats this disease. #JonJones
— Ramsey Nijem (@RamseyNijem) January 7, 2015
I’ll make fun of people who take steroids but I feel bad when I find out someone has a coke problem. Hope JBJ gets help.
— Ulysses Gomez (@uselessgomez) January 6, 2015
Brian Stann, a UFC color commentator and Fox Sports 1 MMA analyst and a former teammate of Jones’ at the Jackson-Winkeljohn MMA gym, gave his take on the Jones development with Fox Sports 1’s America’s Pregame.
Also worth watching is Joe Rogan‘s live reaction to the news while he was taping an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience.
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