Jones apologizes for doping, but claims innocence: 'I would never cheat'

J. Jones (photo) is a former light heavyweight champion. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC

In his first public demonstration after being removed from the main fight of UFC 200, Jon Jones He appeared very emotional, apologized to his fans and the UFC, but denied having any guilt regarding the use of banned substances.

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The North American, removed from this Saturday's card (9) after failing a test carried out in June, held a press conference late Thursday morning in Las Vegas (USA). Right from the start, Jones made a point of recanting with all parties affected by what happened.

“I want to start by apologizing to all the fans who came and supported me for UFC 200, as well as the UFC and the Fertittas [brothers Frank and Lorenzo, Ultimate partners] for not being able to fight. I know they spent a lot of money promoting this event. I also want to apologize to Daniel Cormier – I know this fight means a lot to him. This fight means a lot to me, but it won't happen. So I want to sincerely apologize to everyone”, said Jones, according to an excerpt reproduced by the North American website “MMA Fighting”.

Even without going into details about what actually happened, Jones claimed innocence. “They supposedly found something in my samples that I have no idea what it is. I don't even know how to pronounce it. I have been taking the same supplements for most of my career and have always expressed my stance against any type of performance enhancing substance. I'm still against these substances. So it sucks to be labeled as someone who cheats. This hurts me more than anything I've ever been through. I would never cheat”, insisted the fighter, holding back tears.

If he is punished and suspended from fights, Jones said he would look at it positively. “If I have to take two years off, I will definitely come back. I think this period would be good for me to mature even more as a person. I'm not finished, I'm just upset. I’ve been through a lot to get here, and I’m not going to let that stop me,” he added.

According to Jones' manager, Malki Kawa, the exam retest is already being carried out, and the results are expected to be released on Thursday night.

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