Last week hosted one of the biggest combat sports extravaganzas of all time, but it wasn’t all fun and games. There was a dark cloud hanging over those festivities in the form of the announcement that UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones failed an in-competition drug test for the anabolic steroid turinabol ahead of his UFC 214 fight on July 29.
Many were disappointed by Bones’ latest gaffe, and one of the foremost among that lot was UFC color commentator Joe Rogan. Speaking on his Joe Rogan Experience podcast (warning: NSFW language), he had choice words about the 30-year-old.
“Jon Jones, with this, becomes the number one f–kup of all time, for sure, if he wasn’t already,” he said (h/t MMAFighting.com’s Jed Meshew for the transcription). “This is the biggest one ever. We can only hope and pray that, somehow or another, there’s some mistake.”
Jones’ time in the UFC has been defined by dominance in the cage and non-stop issues outside of it.
In 2015, amid an all-time great run as champion, Jones was unceremoniously stripped of the title following an alleged hit-and-run incident (which was just one part of a series of road-related troubles). He was meant to challenge longtime rival Daniel Cormier for the belt in 2016 at UFC 200, but Jones was pulled from the contest when an out-of-competition drug test was flagged for banned substances. They finally faced off at UFC 214, with Jones winning via third-round TKO, but with this drug test, the result is likely to be overturned.
Rogan is far from alone in his criticism of Jones. UFC President Dana White labeled the news “unbelievable” and wondered aloud if his career may be over due to this latest incident.
Of course, this story isn’t over yet. The results of Jones’ B sample have not yet come back and if they wind up clean, this incident is put behind him (though White himself is not optimistic in this regard). If they come back confirming the initial failure, however, then Jones is facing a potentially lengthy suspension and, most likely, will have Rogan’s label stick in a more permanent way.
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