Jones’ B sample returned with the same result, flagging the steroid Turinabol in Jones’ test.
Jon Jones has failed his B sample drug test with another positive test for Turinabol. The failure stemmed from a sample taken surrounding his UFC 214 bout against Daniel Cormier, for the promotion’s light heavyweight title. Jones won the bout by KO in the third round. ESPN first reported the news of the secondary sample coming back positive. USADA has since confirmed that Jones’ B sample did not differentiate from his A sample.
“Mr. Jones’ B sample has confirmed the A sample findings,” USADA told MMAFighting through a spokesperson. “Importantly — as previously stated — due process should occur before drawing any conclusions about this matter.”
It is very rare for a B sample to result in a different outcome than the A sample.
Now that Jones’ B sample has returned positive, the chances that the light heavyweight champion will be suspended are fairly high. According to California State Athletic Commission Executive Director Andy Foster, who spoke to MMAJunkie, Jones would be able to appeal any potential suspension, which would probably take place at a hearing in October 17th in Los Angeles.
The drug test in question took place after the weigh-ins for UFC 214, where both samples were collected. His urine tested positive for the steroid Turinabol. The announcement of the failure was not made until nearly a month later, on August 22nd. No action has been taken yet to strip Jones of his championship, or to overturn the result of his fight against Daniel Cormier.
The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) has already questioned the oddity of Jones testing positive for a steroid the day before a fight, even though Jones passed previous random drug tests.
“I know he’s already been extremely careless once in his career … but none of this makes any sense.” Foster told MMAJunkie, “That’s why I think it’s very important that we vet this and look at all the available evidence before we jump to conclusions and hang this guy out to dry.”
Now that Jones’ B sample has returned – and confirmed the results of the A sample – Jones could very possibly receive a 4 year suspension, along with major fines from the CSAC. Even if he’s found to not have knowingly ingested the substance, his past test failure and negligence make it unlikely that USADA or the commission will be lenient with him.