Well, there goes any hopes of seeing a Jon Jones and Brock Lesnar superfight. In what is probably the most heartbreaking news ever for Daniel Cormier, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has just tested positive for a banned substance. Again.
Having won the title from Cormier on July 29, 2017, at UFC 214, the controversial MMA fighter has, once again, tested positive for a steroid deemed illegal by the USADA. Jones, 30, previously tested positive for clomiphene and letrozol in the build-up to what would have been his championship fight with Cormier at UFC 200.
Jones endured a one-year ban for the initial failed test only to return at UFC 214 looking bigger, stronger, and more motivated than ever to reclaim his title. We now have a pretty clear indication why Jones was looking so damn good.
TMZ reports that Jones tested positive for the steroid turinabol, a drug which could see the fighter being banned for up to 4 years. No stranger to trouble, Jones has previously landed himself in hot water with the UFC after a felony hit-and-run arrest and DUI.
Jon Jones’ training camp released the following statement via Twitter:
Statement from Jon Jones's camp. pic.twitter.com/uMxsMWZMij
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) August 23, 2017
UFC President Dana White has also spoken out, suggesting this could very well be the end of Jones’ career:
Dana White on Jon Jones, “This might be the end of his career.” pic.twitter.com/fu9uGyrgLc
— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) August 23, 2017
It’s never nice to see an athlete taking shortcuts, but it’s got to be especially tough on competitors like Daniel Cormier who have worked so hard to get where they are only to have their accolades marred by controversy. Speaking exclusively to MMAfighting.com, Cormier had this to say:
“It’s hard to find words to describe how I’m feeling right now. I’m disappointed to hear the news. It’s very emotional. We as athletes are entitled to due process, and I will refrain from saying much more until I know exactly what happened.
In my mind, on July 29, I competed and I lost. I thought Jon Jones was the better man that day. I don’t know what to think anymore. I can’t believe we are going through all of this again. We will see what happens next.
Thank you to all my fans who have supported me during this dark time. I love you all very much.”
Whilst we are gutted to hear about another superstar athlete testing positive for banned substances, we’d also be lying if we said we wouldn’t pay good money to watch Brock Lesnar and Jon Jones compete in an unsanctioned fight where both competitors are absolutely ‘roided up to the gills. If not that, we’d always welcome a confrontation between the two in a WWE ring.
