Jones beat Cormier in his last fight. Photo: Brandon Magnus
A few days after one of the most consecrating victories of his successful career, Jon Jones, bombshell news about the UFC light heavyweight champion promises to shake the MMA world. This Tuesday (6), the American fighter announced that he failed a surprise doping test with a substance derived from cocaine, and that, as a result, he will be admitted to a drug rehabilitation clinic.
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In the exam, carried out on December 4 last year by the Nevada Athletic Commission, the substance benzoylmethylecgonine was detected in the fighter's body. However, as it is a substance that is not banned outside the competition period (when the exam was carried out) by WADA, the World Anti-Doping Agency, Jones was not banned from fighting at UFC 182, and what happened will not change the result of your fight against Daniel Cormier.
Shortly after the announcement, Jones sent a statement to the North American website “Yahoo Sports” in which he took a position on the matter. “With the support of my family, I entered a drug treatment clinic. I want to apologize to my fiancée, my children, my mother, father and brothers for the mistake I made. I also want to apologize to the UFC, my coaches, my sponsors and to my fans, who are just as important. I am taking this treatment very seriously. Therefore, I would appreciate it if I had privacy at this time with my family,” he stated.
At 27 years old, Jones has one of the most meteoric careers in MMA history, becoming the youngest champion to win a UFC belt. With a practically perfect record (he has only one loss by disqualification in a fight he dominated), the North American holds the record for title defenses among light heavyweights, with eight, and has already defeated names like Daniel Cormier, Alexander Gustafson, Vitor belfort, Rashad evans, Glover Teixeira, Mauritius Shogun, Lyoto Machida e Quinton jackson. The success is such that the fighter was mentioned in the list of the 30 most successful athletes under 30 years of age by the renowned North American magazine “Forbes”.
In December, Jones posted the video below to his Twitter account. Instagram from the time it was tested by the Nevada Commission. At the time, the athlete wrote: “The only thing I have is PHW: Pure Hard Work [Just Hard Work]. They're probably wondering how my chicken legs are so strong. I took some supplements, but it’s all good.”
UFC shows disappointment, but supports Jones' decision
Shortly after the news spread, the UFC published an official statement in which it said it was disappointed with the episode, but reiterated its support for Jones. “We support the UFC light heavyweight champion’s decision to check into a rehabilitation facility to address his recent issue. Even though we are disappointed with the test results, we applaud your decision to enter a clinic. Jon is a strong and courageous fighter inside the Octagon and we hope he fights this issue with the same poise and diligence. We commend his decision and look forward to seeing him emerge from this problem a better man.”
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