The UFC has released a statement regarding interim light-heavyweight champ Jon Jones’ flagged USADA drug test and subsequent UFC 200 removal.
On Wednesday, the UFC’s Anti-Doping head Jeff Novitzky announced that interim light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones had been removed from the UFC 200 main event following a flagged United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) drug test.
The UFC released a statement shortly following the announcement. Though the release does not detail the substance which Jones was flagged for, it confirmed that it stemmed from an out-of-competition test on June 16, 2016.
The entire statement is available below:
The UFC organization was notified tonight that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Jon Jones of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collection on June 16, 2016.
USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case. It is important to note that, under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, there is a full fair legal review process that is afforded to all athletes before any sanctions are imposed.
However, because Jones was scheduled to compete against Daniel Cormier this coming Saturday, July 9 in Las Vegas, there is insufficient time for a full review before the scheduled bout and therefore the fight has been removed from the fight card. As a result, the three-round heavyweight bout between Brock Lesnar and Mark Hunt will become the UFC 200 main event.
Consistent with all previous potential anti-doping violations, additional information or UFC statements will be provided at the appropriate time as the process moves forward.