Jon Jones has been suspended one year for testing positive for a banned substance prior to UFC 200 back in July.
The United States Anti-Doping Agency announced on Monday that Jones did, in fact, ingest the banned substances clomiphene and letrozole before his scheduled fight against Daniel Cormier. The suspension is retroactive to July 6, which is the date Jones was pulled from the UFC 200 card.
Jones was the first UFC athlete to ever enter arbitration with USADA, with his attorney arguing that the 29-year-old accidentally ingested the substances when he took what he believed was a sexual enhancement pill from teammate Eric Blasich. Jones supposedly checked with his agent to confirm that Cialis is not on the banned substance list before taking the pill.
As it turns out, the pill was a form of Tadalafil that Blasich purchased from the website AllAmericanPeptide.com. The USADA found that the pill was contaminated with clomiphene and letrozole, though Jones has been labeled “reckless” and not a cheat.
“On the evidence before the Panel, [Jones] is not a drug cheat,” the organization said, according to Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com. “He did not know that the tablet he took contained prohibited substances or that those substances had the capacity to enhance sporting performance.
“However by his imprudent use of what he pungently referred to as a ‘d— pill’ he has not only lost a year of his career but an estimated nine million dollars.”
Jones could still face disciplinary action from the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which would only affect his ability to fight in that state.
When Jones made this announcement on social media back in August, he likely had learned that he could prove he unknowingly took the banned substances. However, athletes are responsible for what goes into their body under most circumstances. That’s why Jones didn’t catch a break.
