Former UFC champion Jon Jones received a 30-month reduction in his anti-doping sentence for agreeing to provide “substantial assistance” to USADA. Here’s what that means.
Jon Jones’ agent Malki Kawa was on The MMA Hour with Luke Thomas and other shows on Monday, in which he claimed Jones didn’t “tell on” anyone in MMA. He went on to say this about the “substantial assistance” Jones had provided USADA in order to receive a 30 month discount under section 10.6.1.1 of the UFC anti-doping policy:
“Substantial assistance doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be about someone else, it could be about himself,” Kawa said on The MMA Hour.
This statement directly contradicts the wording of the policy.
Section 10.6.1.1, the clause under which Jones received a 30-month reduction, clearly states the information has to be about another person. A spokesperson for USADA further provided this statement confirming how the policy works:
“There are two avenues in 10.6.1 of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy which allow for a reduction in sanctions: 1) an individual can get a sanction reduction if he or she provides information that results in USADA or another anti-doping agency bringing forward an Anti-Doping Policy Violation against other athletes or support personnel; and/or 2) a reduction can be given if the information results in a criminal or disciplinary body bringing forward a criminal offense against individuals.
Importantly, if the athlete or support personnel fails to continue to cooperate and provide credible substantial assistance, USADA will reinstate the original sanction. These rules set out in 10.6.1 are crystal clear and if they are not met, an individual would not be considered for a reduction based on substantial assistance. Because the substantial assistance relates to ongoing matters, USADA is unable to provide any further information.”
“Substantial assistance” has a very specific meaning under the UFC’s anti-doping policy. USADA confirmed to me that this is the definition they use. The definition reads:
“For the purposes of Article 10.6.1, a Person providing Substantial Assistance must: (1) fully disclose in a signed written statement all information he or she possess in relation to Anti-Doping Policy Violations, and (2) fully cooperate with the investigation and adjudication of any case related to that information, including, for example, presenting testimony at a hearing if requested to do so by USADA or hearing panel. Further, the information provided must be credible and must comprise an important part of any case which is initiated or, if no case is initiated, must have provided a sufficient basis on which a case could have been brought.”
Emphasis mine.
In other words, Jon Jones is required to give USADA all information he may have about PED use in the sport. If he refuses to do so, or stops cooperating, his suspension will be reinstated.
Malki Kawa, Jones’ agent, previously called a tweet pointing this out “Fake news.”
On top of this, the information Jones provides has to result in, or be likely to result in, an anti-doping or criminal investigation into an offense.
Jones is eligible to return to competition on October 28th following his 15-month suspension due to the presence of a metabolite of the anabolic androgenic steroid Turinabol in his urine from a sample given at UFC 214.
The arbitrator for his case, McLaren Global Sports Solutions’ Richard McLaren, gave Jones an additional three-month reduction in his sentence unconnected to his discount for informing. He concluded “There was absolutely no intention to use Prohibited Substances [by Jon Jones].”