Daniel Cormier has questioned why long-time rival Jon Jones has not been tested as regularly as Jiri Prochazka in 2022.
Prochazka has submitted 64 tests this year. The double-digit samples made him the most tested UFC fighter on the roster this year, according to the U.S Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) website. Jones submitted only 4 tests.
During an episode of his YouTube show, Cormier was critical of Jones not being as tested as Prochazka. He says Jones’ history of positive tests should play a factor in an increase of his USADA testing for the former champion.
“One of the reasons with Jon Jones was that he was gonna get to come back, but he was gonna be the most tested guy in USADA,” Cormier said. “They were gonna be on him. They were gonna make sure that he didnt have picograms or any of that stuff. Where are his damn tests? I mean, why is he not the most tested. Why are you testing Jiri Prochazka more than you’re testing this guy who has a history of having these type of issues? That makes no sense.”
“We have a guy who has a history of drug abuse that got tested a third of the months this year. That’s not fair. That’s not random.”
Jones has tested positive for banned substances on several occasions. He has served numerous suspensions for those violations. Prochazka has never failed a USADA drug test.
Since his UFC debut in July 2020, Prochazka has been unbeaten. He captured the light heavyweight title in his third UFC fight against then-champion Glover Teixeira at UFC 275. Five months later, the 30-year-old was forced to relinquish the title due to a serious shoulder injury.
Daniel Cormier Isn’t a fan of Prochazka’s Frequent Testing While In Action
Cormier has labeled Prochazka’s frequent USADA testing this year as “excessive”. The UFC Hall of Famer believes the former champion should be tested more often during his time away. He says athletes are more prone to cheating when they’re away from their sport.
“I’m saying test him more- not more than 65 times, that’s excessive. But test him more when he’s not the champ and when he’s not competing,” Cormier said. “Because guys are more inclined to cheat when they’re away from the spotlight. So I don’t get how USADA can test a guy so much as the champion, but the moment he walks away, they don’t test him at all.” (h/t MMA Junkie)
Jones has not fought since defending the UFC light heavyweight title in February 2020 at UFC 247. The 35-year-old relinquished the title with intentions to fight at heavyweight.