Jon Jones’ USADA suspension was reduced due to an interesting clause in their policy and that information has surfaced online. It’s been well documented that the former UFC light heavyweight champion was initially facing a 48-month suspension.
Jones failed an in-competition drug test for Turinabol at UFC 214 after he beat Daniel Cormier by third-round TKO. This fight took place in the main event in July of 2017 in Anaheim, California. Back in February, it was revealed that the CSAC revoked Jones’ MMA license and fined him $205,000.
‘Snitching’ Clause
It was noted in the statement that three months of that reduction were due to a small reduction in Jones’ degree of fault. The belief from the arbitrator was due to him not deliberately intending to cheat.
The interesting part is the fact that thirty months reduction were due to the “snitching” clause that is in the UFC’s anti-doping program.
So what does this mean? Well, it turns out that Jones has been telling USADA information that could lead to them giving out suspensions to fighters or criminal investigations into individuals. As a result of doing this, it would likely imply Jones’ information is significant for USADA and thus, he received a greater reduction.
In the policy, it specifically states the clause will give a reduction when the information results in USADA discovering or bringing forward a violation. In more simple terms, if Jones tells them that he has heard a rumor that someone is doing something wrong that wouldn’t cut it.
Instead, he needs detailed information about the use or supply of drugs. It’s not all over as Jones is required to continue to provide this information and if he doesn’t then his suspension will be reinstated.
Now that 2018 has begun, there’s just no other way to say it: 2017 was simply a strange year for the UFC. With record-low pay-per-view numbers at points and outright messes in more than one division as titles became more devalued, it may not have been a banner year for the UFC, but the sport’s […]
Now that 2018 has begun, there’s just no other way to say it: 2017 was simply a strange year for the UFC.
With record-low pay-per-view numbers at points and outright messes in more than one division as titles became more devalued, it may not have been a banner year for the UFC, but the sport’s leading promotion and its fighters still managed to produce plenty of major talking points over the course of the year.
In this article, we’ll look back at 10 of the craziest moments in the UFC over the past 12 months, from the jaw-dropping action inside the Octagon through to wild antics outside of it, and the occasional curveball that no one saw coming.
Check out the 10 craziest moments from a year that was full of them.
Cris ‘Cyborg’ Punches Angela Magana At UFC Athlete Retreat
The UFC Athlete Retreat in Las Vegas in May was supposed to be an opportunity for fighters to relax, have fun and network, but instead, it turned into a battleground between two bitter rivals.
For several months beforehand, strawweight fighter Angela Magana had been waging an unprovoked cyberbullying campaign against the featherweight star, making fun of her appearance in a series of unflattering memes and messages.
Angered by the insults, ‘Cyborg’ took it upon herself to confront her foe face-to-face at the retreat, but Magana remained defiant and made it clear she had no intention of apologizing, leading to the Brazilian star punching her in the face.
In the aftermath of the incident ‘Cyborg’ received support from fans and other UFC fighters for confronting her tormentor, but Magana ignored the backlash and reported the incident to the police, claimed to have been treated in hospital for a cut lip and ‘cervical strain’ and threatened to file a lawsuit against her rival.
’Cyborg’ was later charged with misdemeanor battery by the Las Vegas Police Department.
Jon Jones is both the best and worst thing to ever happen to the UFC and perhaps mixed martial arts in general. No one before – or after – him demonstrated the athleticism and innate natural ability Jones has shown throughout his UFC career. But with those extreme highs have come extreme lows. For every […]
Jon Jones is both the best and worst thing to ever happen to the UFC and perhaps mixed martial arts in general.
No one before – or after – him demonstrated the athleticism and innate natural ability Jones has shown throughout his UFC career.
But with those extreme highs have come extreme lows. For every accolade, de there has seemingly been a head-scratching, mind-boggling screw-up to accompany it. Quite possibly the biggest screw-up came after his most recent feel-good, comeback (or so we thought) win over Daniel Cormier at July 29’s UFC 214, where Jones somehow tested positive for anabolic steroid turinabol despite only just returning from his yearlong suspension for clomiphene and letrozole before his scheduled UFC 200 rematch with Cormier.
Jones is now facing a potential four-year suspension, and it’s become a legitimately sad case where longtime MMA fans have begun to wonder if the curious career of “Bones” is done once and for all. He’s of course owed his due process, but with a drug-related incident around each and every corner for the troubled MMA legend, it isn’t looking all that good.
We broke down the six biggest reasons Jones should be banned for life from the UFC if he’s found guilty of his latest disturbing infraction, even if he is the greatest of all time.
6. The Albuquerque Hit-And-Run
Perhaps the first sign of truly major trouble (although there were indications earlier) for the youngest champion in UFC history began when a night out on the town in his adopted home of Albuquerque, New Mexico, ended up in a hit-and-run that left a 25-year-old-pregnant woman with a broken arm.
The details that emerged were as damning as they were shocking. Jones had kept up a clean-cut image early in his career, and even though he had been arrested for DUI and tested positive for cocaine, this was the major incident that began his downfall.
Police on the scene say Jones returned to the scene only to retrieve cash from his totaled vehicle, showing zero regards for the pregnant woman he injured while leaving drug paraphernalia, condoms, and identifying paperwork in the vehicle.
Jones pled guilty in 2015 and received 18 months probation.
For a sport desperately trying to assert its mainstream status, this black eye never fully healed, and the reputation of the UFC came under the same scrutiny that Jones had received.
Now that the MMA world has had two full days to digest the disappointing news that UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones tested positive for banned anabolic steroid Turinabol following his third-round knockout of rival Daniel Cormier in the main event of July 29’s UFC 214, the sequence of events now moves on to Jones’ […]
Now that the MMA world has had two full days to digest the disappointing news that UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones tested positive for banned anabolic steroid Turinabol following his third-round knockout of rival Daniel Cormier in the main event of July 29’s UFC 214, the sequence of events now moves on to Jones’ due process and the testing of his B sample before it moves on to exactly what his punishment will be.
It’s the latest in a long, winding, and ultimately disturbing series of outside-the-cage troubles for the ultra-talented “Bones,” a fighter so rare and dominant that many, including myself, were quick to re-anoint him as the greatest pound-for-pound fighter in mixed martial arts history after he floored Cormier with a head kick and brutal ground and pound last month. By now the troubles, which always seem to be centered on recreational and performance-enhancing drugs, have become well-documented over and again to the point fans are probably tired of reading about them.
But to summarize, drug test failures for cocaine and driving under the influence charges lead to a disturbing early morning hit-and-run accident in his adopted home of Albuquerque, New Mexico that left a 25-year-old pregnant woman with a broken arm. He didn’t make it his re-scheduled UFC 200 rematch with Cormier due to a failed pre-fight screen for banned substances clomiphene and letrozole, both known as masking agents. Unfortunately, he was able to fight at UFC 214, however, brutalizing his greatest foe with a finish so decisive there left no doubt as to who was the greatest light heavyweight in UFC history – or so we thought.
Now, Jones is owed his due process, a phrase repeated so often during these whirlwind two days that it would seem as if not one person is willing to consider that a realistic process afforded Jones at this point. Many may feel that way, but overall, it’s just becoming hard to blame them after the latest incident to mar a huge pay-per-view headliner featuring Jones.
MMA Weekly
His team is claiming another (yawn) tainted supplement – predictably – and that’s a defense they used when Jones claimed to have tested positive for clomiphene due to his use of a sexual enhancement enhancer, or more affectionately, a ‘dick pill.’ But Jones didn’t get off based on that the first time, as his one-year USADA suspension only just expired when he fought Cormier a second time. The tainted supplement, if it even proves to be the case, is most likely not going to save “Bones” from another long suspension, which could be up to four years this time, due to fighters having to screen any and everything they put in their bodies.
UFC president Dana White isn’t sure we’ll ever see Jones in the octagon again – and indeed that may be the case. However, after a couple days to mull it over, I wouldn’t rush to such a conclusion just yet, even though that was admittedly my first reaction. Jones has shown an almost preternatural ability to somehow bounce back from what seems like certain doom based on a pointless risking of his reputation and brand just like he displays preternatural abilities in dispatching his opponents in the cage.
He came back from every mishap he’s created before, and even though he’s facing his toughest test in terms of his rep being stepped on, and by his own hand if it is proven that he willingly took anabolic steroids before he rematched Cormier. The moral high road isn’t going to play into any “Bones’” comeback as much as the angry mobs with pitchforks and torches may hope for, either, and the UFC needs elite draws to headline PPV events more than ever, something they got for the first time all year with Jones at UFC 214.
It’s clearly going to take a cataclysmic mess-up for them to stop signing Jones for headliners – but what is worse than knocking out a world-class rival with by kicking them in the head while having used steroids (if that is the case)? Situations like that are exactly why the UFC decided to enlist USADA to enact heavily increased and more stringent testing in MMA in the first place. “Bones” ability to beat the best MMA talent in the world in the octagon will seemingly always supersede his tendency to screw up outside of it
A lot – even a ton – could change before Jones is actually able to return to MMA, if he ever does. Just don’t be surprised if somehow, he does.
By now, it’s plain to see there’s been a verifiable downpour of news and opinions surrounding UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones’ shocking failed drug test at UFC 214. Most of it has been in the form of online vitriol directed at the massively talented-but-troubled MMA legend who had supposedly made a successful comeback against […]
By now, it’s plain to see there’s been a verifiable downpour of news and opinions surrounding UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones’ shocking failed drug test at UFC 214.
Most of it has been in the form of online vitriol directed at the massively talented-but-troubled MMA legend who had supposedly made a successful comeback against Daniel Cormier, but Jones’ management team issued a statement late last night expressing their surprise at the unfortunate event, noting that he was due the full process of sorting out the truth of his failed test.
That’s certainly true for Jones and any other UFC athlete who is flagged for a potential USADA anti-doping violation, but it’s also no surprise that most are doubting the validity of his camp’s suggestion they would test his supplements for contamination, the go-to response of nearly every UFC athlete who fails a drug test. It didn’t work for Jones last year after he failed a pre-fight screen for clomiphene just days before his scheduled UFC 200 rematch with Cormier as Jones earned a one-year suspension that just expired in the weeks before UFC 214.
Regardless, Jones’ manager Malki Kawa is apparently still baffled that MMA fans online, of all places, would be so quick to pass judgment on a fighter who has shown nothing but the inability to make it to the octagon in the past two years due to a nefarious list of drug-related troubles. Kawa took a professional tone in his statement last night, yet that has changed in a day’s time.
He issued a singing statement on his Facebook page discrediting all of “Bones’” haters:
“The amount of hate that everyone has towards jon jones with out any due process is beyond me. The messages I keep getting saying to “drop him” or “don’t take up for him” goes to show me how low this society is. I stand with bones! For anyone to think I would “drop” him like Him and I aren’t brothers is stupid. I know how hard he worked to get back to where he’s at. This is definitely heartbreaking. He def didn’t cheat or use steroids. But I’m with him more now than the night he won the belt…. being there for the good times is what everybody would do. But who’s really there when times get bad? I hope that you people pick your friends, wives/husbands and close confidants based on real stuff. Not who can celebrate when you’re on top. I’m not sure why this is happening to him again, or how even, but We’ll get to the bottom of it. To those of you that truly support my brother and I, thank you! To those of you who say “drop him” you’re not doing me any favors by saying that. You’re not my friend nor my family. So a big “fuck you” to you and your “support””
USA Today/ MMA Junkie
Now, it’s important to note that Jones is, of course, owed his due process and could be exonerated by USADA, but it’s hard to imagine they’re going to take it easy on him only a little more than a year after they deemed his behavior nearly “reckless” in taking a sexual performance pill while also acknowledging he was not a “drug cheat.”
Kawa suggests that is exactly the case, and justice will once again shine through for “Bones.” But with a mounting set of disappointing drug issues that are making it tough to believe Jones’ team when they blame their trouble on something else every time, at some point Kawa will have to point the finger at his fighter – and as a result, even himself.
We’ll just have to wait and see what USADA unveils, yet one thing is certain: Jon Jones is running out of chances.
Stop us if you’ve heard this before. Oh wait. You most certainly have. Echoing shades of his good friend and peer Anderson Silva, word has arrived that interim UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones’ failed UFC drug test, which prevented his anticipated UFC 200 main event with Daniel Cormier from happening, was reportedly due to
Oh wait. You most certainly have. Echoing shades of his good friend and peer Anderson Silva, word has arrived that interim UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones’ failed UFC drug test, which prevented his anticipated UFC 200 main event with Daniel Cormier from happening, was reportedly due to a pill for erectile dysfunction.
The news surfaced this evening from UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping on his “Countdown” podcast on Sirius XM Radio (via BJPenn.com):
You heard it here on The Countdown first.. @bisping tells us sources say Cialis made Jon Jones fail his drug test.
There’s been no confirmation for just what caused the failed test, where Jones tested positive for two estrogen blockers. However, Jones recently posted a positive message online saying that he and his team had found some “really good” news and he expected to be back in the Octagon very soon.
Dana White backed that with his own statement that it was looking like Jones didn’t actually test positive for the two banned substances everyone thought he did. And with seemingly just as many random USADA tests failed due to tainted supplements as for legitimate banned substances, the UFC’s relatively young anti-doping program is clearly still undergoing some serious going pains.
Whether or not Jones becomes one of the UFC athletes to prove his failed test was due to a legitimately taken medication remains to be seen, yet either way, Jones could be forced to serve a small ban due to the fact he did not disclose he was taking the substance to USADA this summer.
