Jon Jones Faces A Four Year Suspension And Massive Financial Penalties Over His Failed Drug Test

It’s not looking good for UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones following the revelation that he failed a USADA drug test for turinabol leading up to his UFC 214 victory over Daniel Cormier. The news dropped on Tuesday night and since then Jones and his team have vehemently denied using any performance enhancing drugs, instead blaming the failure on ‘another tainted supplement.’

But with that excuse already used after Jones failed a drug test in 2016, we’re not sure how much lenience he’ll get. That time around, Jones tested positive for clomiphene and Letrozole, drugs known in the PED world as drugs used to return hormone levels to normal following a cycle. According to Jones, they were a result of using tainted off-brand sexual enhancement pills. And while USADA accepted that excuse, their reports also noted that the teammate Jones had gotten the pills from had also ordered clomiphene at the same time. Sketchy.

So now Jones faces a four year suspension from USADA due to this being his second drug test failure, putting him out of the sport until he’s 34. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to punishments and fines he may face. The California State Athletic Commission also gets to weigh in on this second drug failure in as many fights. If one group gives him a two year suspension and the other four, he’ll have to sit out for whichever suspension is longest.

On the financial tip, the UFC can fine Jones up to $500,000 through their Anti-Doping Policy. And then the CSAC can take up to 40% of the total purse Jones made for the fight (which was disclosed at $500,000 plus PPV points). And then there’s the possibility of a lawsuit from Cormier. That last one is somewhat new, with one example being Mark Hunt’s quest to take Brock Lesnar’s purse away after the WWE superstar tested positive leading up to their fight.

It’s all an ugly situation for Jones, and unless his team finds some really good excuse as to why turinabol ended up in his system, his career as an MMA fighter could be over. It may be even if they do figure out why. Because at this point, they’ve already taken their one pass from USADA. It’s doubtful they’ll get another.

×