Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC
The UFC and Jones are leaving out an important fact about the number of drug tests Jones underwent.
A big talking point has emerged in the lead up to Saturday’s UFC 247 main event. UFC Senior VP of Athlete and Performance, Jeff Novitzky first brought up the subject in a tweet on Monday. UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones made sure to hit on Novitzky’s bullet points during Monday’s UFC 247 media call for his fight against Dominick Reyes.
In 2019, @JonnyBones was subject to 42 no-notice drug tests by 3 separate entities (USADA, CSAC and NSAC). In my 20 years experience in the anti-doping world, this is the highest volume of yearly tests that I have ever seen on one athlete, in any sport.
— Jeff Novitzky (@JeffNovitzkyUFC) February 3, 2020
“At one point in 2019, I did almost 30 drug tests with USADA alone. I also had two other drug testing agencies that were drug testing me,” said Jones. “With USADA alone, I was one of the most heavily drug-tested athletes in all of sports. Include in the other agencies, the Nevada Athletic Commission and the California State Athletic Commission, I know for a fact no one has been drug-tested more than me. What that shows is that I’m willing to prove this whole situation I was in was never intentional. I think it’s proof I had nothing to hide. It also proves my willingness to try to make things easier for fighters in the future.”
The one thing that both Jones and Novitzky failed to mention was that Jones agreed to those extra drug tests as a stipulation to get licensed to fight. That’s an integral part of the story. In fact, without that agreement, it’s hard to believe there would be a story at all because the odds are high that Jones would not have had to undergo that number of drug tests.
Also lacking is the reason Jones agreed to those additional drug tests.
Jones was scheduled to face Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 232 in late December 2018. That fight was booked for T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, but when one of Jones’ drug tests showed a trace amount of DHCMT, also known as Turinabol. The NSAC was not comfortable licensing Jones for UFC 232 as a result of that positive test. The commission said it wanted more time to investigate the findings from the drug test.
The UFC then moved the entire fight card to California on short notice. Before UFC 232 took place at The Forum in Inglewood, California, Jones enrolled in a drug-testing program with the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association. According to ESPN, CSAC executive director Andy Foster required Jones to undergo VADA testing as a part of the licensing process for his fight against Gustafsson. The CSAC approved Jones for the contest and USADA ruled that the amount of DHCMT metabolites found in Jones’ drug test were residual amounts tied to his positive test for DHCMT in 2017. That failed test earned Jones a 15-month suspension and saw the UFC light heavyweight title returned to Daniel Cormier, who Jones defeated at UFC 214.
Heading into UFC 235, which took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the NSAC did license Jones. However, as part of that licensure agreement, the commission required Jones to undergo and pay for additional NSAC drug testing leading up to that March 2018 matchup against Anthony Smith. Jones was also subject to USADA and VADA testing. It should be noted that two of those tests revealed adverse results, but Jones was cleared to fight by the NSAC.
”Dr. Daniel Eichner, President and Laboratory Director of SMRTL, reviewed the above investigative reports and determined that they show no evidence that dehydrocholormethyltestosterone (DHCMT) has been re-administered,” the NSAC told Bloody Elbow via email. “Dr. Eichner further provided that there is no scientific or medical evidence that the athlete (Jones) would have an unfair advantage leading up to, or for, his contest scheduled on March 2, 2019.”
The UFC and Jones leaving out the circumstances behind the number of drug tests Jones underwent does not seem like a mistake, it looks like a calculated move to paint Jones in a positive light and rehabilitate his damaged brand. It seems as if that plan is already working. For example, MMA Junkie reported on Jones’ claims without including the proper context. Instead, their report noted vague, “past issues.” Excluding the full context is a disservice to fans. It’s also a failure in reporting all the details as to why Jones underwent so many drug tests.
With Novitzky and Jones both crowing about the number of drug tests the light heavyweight champ underwent over the past year, don’t be surprised if the UFC hits upon the same narrative during Wednesday’s UFC 247: Athlete Panel as well as Saturday’s UFC 247 pay-per-view event. Just remember there was — and is — a genuine reason why Jones racked up that many drug tests in 2019.