Why Was UFC Fighter Jon Jones Suspended?
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was suspended for 15 months following his fight with Daniel Cormier at UFC 214 in July of 2017 for a doping violation.
In September, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency announced the length of Jones’s ban for his second violation of the UFC’s anti-doping policy. The 31-year-old fighter tested positive for a steroid metabolite and was given a 15-month ban–retroactive to when the positive sample was collected.
Jones (22–1–0, 1 no-contest) became eligible to return to competition on Oct. 28 when the ban concluded.
He will return to the Octagon to take on Alexander Gustaffson (18–4) on Saturday, Dec. 29 in the UFC 232 event.
Saturday's event was originally slated to take place in Las Vegas but was moved to Los Angeles at the last minute after Jones tested positive for trace amounts of turinabol, the same substance he tested positive for last year.
According to ESPN, the USDA determined Jones's positive test this time around was because of a residual amount of the substance that lingered in Jones's system from 2017.
The former light heavyweight champion is widely considered the best pound-for-pound mixed martial artist in the world, but has had several doping issues throughout his career.
He reclaimed the light heavyweight title from Cormier last year, but the victory was taken away when he tested positive. Jones also failed an out-of-competition doping test in 2016 when he tested positive for two anti-estrogen agents, one year after he tested positive for cocaine use. He received a year-long suspension for the 2016 result but claimed the result was due to a sexual enhancement pill.
