MMA star Jon Jones will not be allowed to fight until at least July 2017, following an arbitration hearing regarding a failed drug-test prior to UFC 200.
Jones, regarded as one of the best fighters in the sport, received a one-year suspension for two banned substances, clomiphene and letrozole, just three days before his scheduled fight against Daniel Cormier in July.
The United States Anti Doping Agency (USADA) conducted the testing for the UFC and three independent arbitrators upheld the suspension, which started in July. Jones said he took a contaminated sexual-performance pill, claiming he thought he was taking Cialis, an erectile dysfunction medication.
The pill, however, was a manufactured by a company with “standards far less rigorous than those required by the US Food and Drugs Administration,” according to the panel.
While the panel acknowledged Jones didn’t knowingly cheat, they wrote that he was responsible and “verged on the reckless.”
“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,” the panel wrote.
This wasn’t the first time Jones has tested positive for a banned substance. In January 2015, he tested positive for the primary substance in cocaine (benzoylecgonine).
Jones has also had previous out-of-competition troubles, being stripped of his title in April 2015 for leaving the scene of a hit-and-run accident. He was sentenced to 18 months of supervised probation. He was also arrested for driving under the influence in 2012.
Jones has not fought since April 2016 and has had only three fights since 2014.
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