Jon Jones vs Daniel Cormier is still the highest level of competition within the Octagon. Yes, Alexander Volkanovski vs Islam Makhachev at UFC 284 is up there as well. But an Olympic athlete taking on arguably the greatest mixed martial artist of all time is the definition of the best fighting the best.
However, their fights were marred by some controversy — namely, Jones’ failed drug tests. The first time around, it was a cocaine metabolite and low testosterone that caused the failed test. However, NSAC deemed this test finding irrelevant, and “Bones” wasn’t sanctioned by any commission or USADA/WADA.
Today's failed drug test adds to a history of incidents with Jon Jones. pic.twitter.com/nJbCTm9qLk
— ESPN (@espn) August 23, 2017
At UFC 214, Jon Jones knocked out Daniel Cormier in the third round. His victory was overturned to a no-contest after he tested positive for trace amounts of oral Turinabol. He was stripped of the UFC LHW title and slapped with an 18-month suspension. However, there is an asterisk that needs to be placed next to this failed drug test.
For starters, the chief arbitrator for this case, Richard McLaren said, “I find that all of the evidence available to me leads me to conclude that the violation was not intended nor could it have enhanced the Athlete’s performance.” USADA deemed Jones as “innocent” primarily due to the “extremely low” amount of Turinabol in his system.
USADA Statement on Jon Jones Sample and UFC Anti-Doping Policy pic.twitter.com/TJfbJB5X9W
— USADA (@usantidoping) December 23, 2018
Jon’s suspension was also reduced because of the “substantial assistance” he provided to USADA. He then released a statement saying, “It’s difficult to express myself at this moment, but I can definitely say my heart is filled with gratitude and appreciation. I want to thank all of you who have stood by me during the toughest stretch of my life.”
Jon Jones wants UFC 214 no-contest to be reverted to a win
A couple of days ago, Jon Jones used Twitter to share a take by Beau Hightower who said that Jon Jones would not have tested positive under the current USADA rules. His tweet had no caption, only a screenshot of the statement.
The statement in the Tweet said, “Jon Jones should get reparations for his USADA suspensions given ‘the science changed’ and now tests under 100 picograms per ML are not positive anymore. None of his positive tests would be a positive under the current rules. His no contest should be restored to a win.” Jon followed this up with another Tweet where he gave his own thoughts on this matter.
— BONY (@JonnyBones) February 21, 2023
Jones’ follow-up Tweet said, “I feel officially cleared. There will be no asterisk next to any of my performances. It’s good the rest of the world can see what I’ve known this whole time. My only advantage over my competition has been pure Hard work.”
It seems Jon wants a clean slate heading into the newest chapter of his UFC career. He is even ready to patch things up with his bitter rival, Daniel Cormier. Bones is currently preparing to win the UFC heavyweight championship in his heavyweight debut. But whether Jon gets back his win from USADA’s clutches, remains to be seen.
