Jones’ abnormal drug test results in moving of UFC 232 to Los Angeles

The weird story of Jon Jones continued today as the results of an abnormal drug test forced the UFC to move it’s Saturday’s event scheduled for Las Vegas to California. A drug test earlier this month revealed a trace amount of turinabol, which was the same substance that was found in Jones’ system in 2017 resulting in his fifeteen month suspension.

The amount of the susbstance found in Jones’ system apparently is not indicative of active us, but because of the event being only six days, the Nevada Commission has allowed Jones’ to withdraw his fighter application. Executive Director Bob Bennet released the following statement to the media:

Today, Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) Executive Director Bob Bennett announced that, in consultation with NSAC Commission Chair Anthony Marnell, III, unarmed combatant Jon Jones will be allowed to withdraw his pending application for licensure, which was intended to clear him to fight in a major contest in Nevada later this month.

After extensive analysis of Mr. Jones’ prior 18 months of USADA in- and out-of-competition anti-doping drug testing results, Director Bennett, Chair Marnell, and Mr. Jones agree that he will appear at an evidentiary hearing in January. This will allow for a measured, thoughtful, and comprehensive discussion of his anti-doping testing protocol and results and provide an opportunity for the NSAC to determine the appropriate path forward for him in Nevada. We look forward to his hearing.

Since no disciplinary action will be taken Nevada, the UFC was able to move the entire event to Los Angeles, CA and allow Jones to apply for a license to fight in California. Executive Director of the California State Athletic Commission spoke publically to MMAFighting.com stating that after consulting with scientists, he believed the trace amount of turinabol found in Jones’ system did not indicate a new ingestion and instead was related to his prior use for which he was already suspended:

We’ve got a statement from three difference scientists, from the [WADA-accredited] lab director [at SMRTL in Salt Lake City] saying there’s no evidence of any new ingestion, Foster said. This isn’t a new thing. This is what he’s been punished for already. He’s already served his time on this.

Foster said Jones flew to California this weekend to be drug tested and the results have already come back negative.

He’s a clean athlete, Foster said.

source: mmafighting.com

Also of note, is that Jon Jones was tested by USADA a total of ten times in 2018 and none of those tests resulted in an abnormality. USADA makes the number of times athletes were tested publically available.

UFC 223 will proceed as planned, now at the Forum in Inglewood, California and will still be headlined by a lightheavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson.