Tag: daniel cormier

USADA Suspends Jon Jones For One Full Year

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was hoping for a reduced sentence in the doping case that caused an abrupt halt to his anticipate rematch with longtime rival Daniel Cormier in the main event of July 9’s UFC 200. And many thought that ‘Bones’ would get just that, as his team insisted that his

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Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was hoping for a reduced sentence in the doping case that caused an abrupt halt to his anticipate rematch with longtime rival Daniel Cormier in the main event of July 9’s UFC 200.

And many thought that ‘Bones’ would get just that, as his team insisted that his test failure for banned estrogen-blocking substances clomiphene and Letrozol was due to his ingestion of sexual performance enhancement drug Cialis. Indeed, two previously suspended UFC fighters in middleweight Yoel Romero and welterweight Tim Means were able to receive short six-month bans, yet it appears Jones wasn’t quite as fortunate.

News arrived last week that Jones and his team had finished their arbitration with USADA prior to his meeting with the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) this month, and his attorney Howard Jacobs revealed both sides were unable to come to an amicable settlement. Today we find out why, as Jones has been suspended for one full year dating back to July 9.

A fullly detailed description of the arbitration session, where Jones was found to have a “degree of fault in fact verged on the reckless,” can be read here. Apparently the troubled former champion answered precious few questions about his Cialis use, revealing only who had given him the drug and if it was for a sexual performance purposes.

Jones also did not receive the shorter six-month term Romero and Means did because their cases involved ingesting supplements which contained a banned substance not listed no the label, while Jones simply failed to disclose that he was taking Cialis in his pre-fight questionairre.

In summation, the arbitrators issued a stern decision for Jones’ case, seemingly focused on his nonchalant attitude for what he called a ‘dick pill’ and deeming it a warning for any and all professional fighters in similiar situations:

“On the evidence before the Panel, the Applicant is not a drug cheat. He did not know that the tablet he took contained prohibited substances or that those substances had the capacity to enhance sporting performance. However by his imprudent use of what he pungently referred to as a ‘dick pill’ he has not only lost a year of his career but an estimated nine million dollars. This outcome which he admits to be a wake-up call for him should serve as a warning to all others who participate in the same sport.”

 

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Jon Jones’ USADA Arbitration Finished, Punishment Awaits

The latest twist in the strange, disappointing Jon Jones saga appears to be heading for a resolution soon. After claiming that his failed UFC 200 USADA drug test was due to sexual performance medication Cialis, Jones had his case heard before three arbitrators in Santa Monica, California, on Monday (October 31, 2016) according to a

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The latest twist in the strange, disappointing Jon Jones saga appears to be heading for a resolution soon.

After claiming that his failed UFC 200 USADA drug test was due to sexual performance medication Cialis, Jones had his case heard before three arbitrators in Santa Monica, California, on Monday (October 31, 2016) according to a report from MMA Fighting, who revealed the proceedings lasted for 10 hours.

A decision has been reached, and Jones’ legal team, led by Howard Jacobs have asked for an expedited decision before the interim light heavyweight champ is scheduled to go before the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) for his official hearing on November 10. Jones is hoping to receive a shortened suspension after failing for anti-estrogen agents clomiphene and Letrozol in an out-of-competition test on June 16, results that canceled his UFC 200 rematch with Daniel Cormier only three days before the awaited bout was set to go down.

Jones now relies on the tainted supplement defense, the current go-to for USADA-failing fighters that has gained Yoel Romero and Tim Means six-month suspensions in the early days of USADA’s new partnership with the UFC. But Jones was the first fighter to go to arbitration with USADA, and is undoubtedly the most high-profile UFC fighter to run afoul of the acclaimed testing company thus far.

UFC 135: Jones v Rampage - Press Conference

His suspension will most likely be reduced, but the final result is still very much up in the air according to Jacobs:

“I think the evidence all came in and we’re happy with sort of how the case went and now we’re just gonna wait for the decision,” Jacobs said. “It’s out of our hands now. I don’t want to get into the details, but there was a lot of evidence that was heard and a lot of argument,” Jacobs said. “Think of it like a trial. It’s basically like the same. It just takes more time than you would think.”

So while USADA has show a tendency to reduce suspensions based on supplement use, the NAC has shown to be far more stringent when punishing fighters, evident by their massive fine levied at Conor McGregor for his UFC 202 press conference bottle-throwing incident and their five-year suspension of Nick Diaz for his third marijuana-related offense. But both of those harsh sanctions came from the mind of former commissioner Pat Lundvall, whose stint with the NAC interestingly came to its end yesterday.

With USADA bringing a close to the case, Jacobs hopes the commission will take their findings into account:

“We think that before Nevada hears the case, it would be useful for them to see how these arbitrators analyzed the same facts and [came] to the decision that they’re gonna come to.”

They may or may not, and if history has shown us anything, the NAC tends to do what they want when they want in their hearings, and they rarely waver. Jacobs revealed that he and his team could not reach a viable settlement with USADA on the issue, something that could prove dealing with the NAC even more difficult:

“If we had come to a settlement option that both sides were happy with, we wouldn’t have gone to arbitration.”

The arguments have been presented and the result of Jones’ arbitration is now a waiting game, with even more drama to unfold at the NAC hearing that follows. The dominant but troubled former champion may get a shortened sanction that allows him to fight again sometime early next year, but regardless of this result, it’s going to be on “Bones” to prove he can make it through a fight camp and show up to the Octagon without issues.

It’s been quite some time since we’ve seen arguably the best fighter in MMA history do just that.

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Jon Jones Says “He Would Much Rather” Fight Rumble Than D.C. For UFC Title

Jon Jones is expecting to standing across from Daniel Cormier when he makes his expected Octagon return, even if he prefers someone else entirely.

“Bones” Jones has been pretty active on social media lately, including getting in a big “Twitter War” …

dc-jones-rumble

Jon Jones is expecting to standing across from Daniel Cormier when he makes his expected Octagon return, even if he prefers someone else entirely.

“Bones” Jones has been pretty active on social media lately, including getting in a big “Twitter War” with UFC turned Bellator MMA Heavyweight fighter Matt Mitrione, and when the former champ was asked who he feels will emerge as the reigning champ when Daniel Cormier and Anthony “Rumble” Johnson meet for the 205-pound title.

“If I had to bet I would go with DC,” wrote Jones when asked for his prediction for the D.C.-Rumble 2 fight, which goes down at UFC 206. “His overall game is more complete.”

Cormier chimed in to comment on his biggest rival picking him to win, noting “Bones” was actually a “smart man,” before actually thanking him.

“Smart man JOHNNY boy,” wrote the reigning UFC 205-pound champ. “Thank you.”

While Jones is picking Cormier to remain the champion until his own return, expected sometime in 2017, he also pointed out the fact that he would prefer to fight “Rumble” Johnson in his first fight back to regain his title and clear out the 205-pound division all in one shot.

“I would much rather fight Rumble for the title,” Jones commented. “That way I could clear the division and get my belt back at once.”

The UFC Needs To Swallow Their Pride & Book GSP

Throughout the three-week lull proceeding one of the busiest periods in MMA history surrounding UFC 205, the contract standoff between the UFC and former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre has perhaps been the most discussed topic. St-Pierre revealed he considered himself a free agent after the UFC failed to give him a realistic fight in a timeframe

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Throughout the three-week lull proceeding one of the busiest periods in MMA history surrounding UFC 205, the contract standoff between the UFC and former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre has perhaps been the most discussed topic.

St-Pierre revealed he considered himself a free agent after the UFC failed to give him a realistic fight in a timeframe set forth by his lawyer. While the UFC predictably asserted St-Pierre was under contract and that they would hold him to his obligations, it’s simply a sad state of affairs that the situation has been allowed to reach this level.

Tempers were apparently calmed during a recent meeting between new UFC headman Ari Emanuel and St-Pierre, and “Rush” also released a video declaring that his relationship with Dana White had “never been better.” But that still wasn’t enough to get him in the main event slot of UFC 206, a card from Toronto in his native Canada that fans are threatening to boycott if he was not signed.

georges st. pierre ufc stats

It’s looking like they’ll have to boycott, as St-Pierre said the fight, which was rumored to be against Michael Bisping, just isn’t happening as of now. With its Daniel Cormier vs. Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson rematch in the main event and a lackluster undercard, UFC 206 is set to struggle in the UFC’s return to Toronto as it’s sandwiched in between UFC 205 and UFC 207, where Ronda Rousey will return, but this could have easily been avoided.

There are whispers that St-Pierre’s management company CAA and their status as UFC owners WME-IMG’s direct competition in in the talent industry is directly interfering with any deal St-Pierre may sign, and there are other rumors GSP wants $10 million for his return fight that the new ownership isn’t willing to pay. Regardless of the reasoning, however, this is a situation that could have been avoided to make UFC 206 a truly special event – and a massive PPV success.

Instead, it’s just another bad look for the UFC’s new owners, who have stayed stalwart in their plan to cut overhead by releasing employees and playing hardball with St-Pierre in a time where fighter pay and treatment is one of the most hotly debated topics in the sport. The idea that the UFC would take a great financial risk and be forced to spend a large amount of money to re-introduce St-Pierre to a new fanbase is ludicrous, as is WME-IMG’s withdrawal of an offer St-Pierre had received from previous owner Lorenzo Fertitta.

GSP Rogan

True, St-Pierre may have been losing fans towards the end of his dominant run when he chose to fight safe and coast to dominant decision wins rather than finish his overmatched opponents, but he’s still one of the most popular fighters the Octagon has ever hosted. He may not bring in the million-plus buys that Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey do, but he can bring in more buys than nearly every other MMA star can.

He’s also the key to a currently struggling Canadian market in MMA, where he ruled for many years as the sport boom North of the Border. His presence would have instantly reinserted a ton of interest and attention into the fight-crazed Canadian MMA market, which has undoubtedly fallen into a funk since he left. Now, however, in an effort to save a few millions off the bottom line, the UFC is content to let UFC 206 fall by the wayside as a wholly forgettable event in a sea of high-profile cards.

It’s purely a business decision, but this decision is not best for business. Maybe St-Pierre is playing hardball; it cannot be denied he’s simply the most high-profile name to speak up for fighters being treated fairly. That’s something that needed to happen and was an eventuality rather than something the UFC could have held off forever. They did a good enough job doing that for several years as it stands.

He’ll most likely eventually reach middle ground with WME-IMG, yet UFC 206 could have been so, so much bigger. For a company that’s clearly about the bottom line, the decision to not back down to St-Pierre’s request is a puzzling one, and one that’s going to cost them millions of dollars in the short run.

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Daniel Cormier: Conor McGregor Is The UFC’s Stone Cold Steve Austin

UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor is one of the most controversial sports figures in the world today. ‘The Notorious One’ dresses to impress, spends his money heavily, and can always be counted on to show up on fight night when he signs on the dotted line. Throughout all this, however, the brash Irishman isn’t afraid to

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UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor is one of the most controversial sports figures in the world today. ‘The Notorious One’ dresses to impress, spends his money heavily, and can always be counted on to show up on fight night when he signs on the dotted line.

Throughout all this, however, the brash Irishman isn’t afraid to throw a few verbal jabs at his opponent in the midst of the lead-up to their bouts. ‘Mystic Mac’ is also credited for making some rather accurate predictions when it comes to throwing down in the Octagon, predicting multiple times the exact method, time, and round in which he would down his opponent.

All of these qualities make McGregor into the man you love, or the man you love to hate when it comes to combat sports. One man who doesn’t have a problem with the 145-pound champ’s witty antics is UFC light heavyweight champ Daniel Cormier, who recently compared McGregor to WWE Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin in a recent interview with The Sun:

“He brings more eyes. I think he is the anti-hero,” said Cormier. “He is Stone Cold Steve Austin from 2000. The guy that you’re supposed to kinda root against, but you want to root for. Everything that he does before would have gotten people to boo you. But it’s like they’ve taken to it. It’s something so different that what they’re used to seeing the people love it. I think it’s fine.”

While MMA fans’ stance on the Irish champ is mixed throughout the community, he is still a heavy draw that persuades fans to hit the ‘order’ button on their remotes to tune in and cheer McGregor on or pray for his demise:

conor-mcgregor-at-ufc-205-presser

“Like I used to tell people when they used to ask about Tito Ortiz,” added Cormier. “I’m like you’re gonna pay to see the man fight because you want to see him either win, or you want to see him lose. He talks it and he backs it up. And Conor does the same thing. He’s working magic for the UFC.”

McGregor will be competing against Eddie Alvarez in the main event of UFC 205 for the lightweight title live on pay-per-view (PPV), from the Madison Square Garden arena in New York City on November 12, 2016.

Cormier will clash with Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson for the light heavyweight title at UFC 206 live on pay-per-view (PPV), from the Air Canada Centre from Toronto, Ontario, Canada on December 10, 2016.

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Jon Jones Goes Off On Daniel Cormier & Anthony Johnson, Vows To Slap One

Despite being on the sidelines due to a potential anti-doping violation, former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones put two top light heavyweight contenders on notice via Twitter. Jones went on a rant and targeted current light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier as well as Anthony Johnson, who are both set to headline UFC 206 on

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Despite being on the sidelines due to a potential anti-doping violation, former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones put two top light heavyweight contenders on notice via Twitter.

Jones went on a rant and targeted current light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier as well as Anthony Johnson, who are both set to headline UFC 206 on December 10.

“Can’t wait to get back and slap one of these light heavyweights,” Jones tweeted on Wednesday night. “even on the sidelines I’m more relevant than anyone in that division. You boys know when we all retire you will just be known as one of my contenders,” he wrote. “Easy for y’all to talk that shit when daddy ain’t home”

Jones didn’t stop there as then he sent numerous tweets about the two fighters.

Jones would then retweet things about Johnson’s past which includes allegations of domestic violence.

Jones was pulled out of UFC 200 because of a potential anti-doping violation. Jones was supposed to fight Cormier for the light heavyweight title at the event. The Nevada State Athletic Commission confirmed that Jones tested positive for hydroxy-clomiphene, “an anti-estrogenic agent” and “letrozole metabolite,” an “aromatase inhibitor.” Estrogen blockers can potentially act in tandem with performance-enhancers by helping to mitigate their side effects. It will be interesting to see when Jones can return to the world famous octagon.

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