The Jon Jones saga continues to grow more bizarre by the day and at this point do you expect anything less?
Jon Jones’ latest ordeal began when he failed an in-competition drug test prior to UFC 200 and was pulled just days before the event. He cried publicly during his press conference and swore that he’d clear his name. That he did.
According to Jon, tainted ‘D*ck Pills’ were to blame for Jones failing the pre-fight test. His camp submitted the tainted supplements for WADA testing and both came back positive for the two anti-testosterone supplements that led to the failed test.
Despite Jones proving his innocence, no matter how odd the excuse, the NSAC’s board of arbitrators handed down the maximum punishment of a 1-year suspension to Jon Jones.
The NSAC issued a statement on his suspension:
“On the evidence before the Panel, the Applicant is not a drug cheat,” the arbitrators wrote in their epilogue. “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 ‘dick pill’ he has not only lost a year of his career but an estimated nine million dollars. 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.”
Jon has had several of these “wake up calls” over the past few years and he continues to make mistakes. It’ll be interesting to see how he attempts to rebound from the latest misstep and whether he can return to form.
Jones has just three fight since the beginning of 2014 and his trend of fighting once a year looks to continue into 2017 due to this latest suspension.
Maybe it’s time people chalk these instances up as ‘Jon being Jon.’