Jon Jones has had a rough 12 months, but the former UFC light heavyweight champ feels like things are starting to turn around.
That seems to be the case, at least, as Jones indicated he may be back in the Octagon soon in a recent Instagram post. MMAJunkie.com’s Chamatkar Sandhu reposted the 56-second video via Twitter:
It’s a much-needed bit of good news for fans of the 29-year-old.
Jones has been in and out of trouble over the last 18 months. Starting with an out-of-competition drug test being flagged for cocaine metabolites in January 2015, Jones has been a steady part of the MMA news cycle for a number of high-profile incidents, both legal and professional.
In April 2015, he was stripped of the UFC light heavyweight title because of a hit-and-run incident, and he was arrested less than 12 months later for probation violation because of a heated traffic stop, during which Jones was slapped with five tickets (most notably for drag racing).
The most recent kerfuffle involving Jones came in July, when he was pulled from the main event of UFC 200 just a few days ahead of the event because of a flagged out-of-competition drug test. The change to the card was a catastrophe for all parties, as the UFC was forced to shuffle the card and Jones was denied a potentially enormous payday.
While neither the UFC nor USADA has discussed what comes after Jones’ temporary suspension, his positive outlook isn’t unfounded. Middleweight contender Yoel Romero received a relatively short six-month suspensions because of his failed drug test, stemming from tainted supplements, and there is a chance Jones could get a similarly light punishment.
Of course, nothing is official until a statement comes down from USADA or the UFC. As such, any optimism should be coupled with a fair bit of cautiousness. Stay tuned.
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