Jon Jones and the fallout from his failed drug tests

The California Commission’s Decision

The California State Athletic Commission fined Jon Jones $205,000 and revoked his license after he tested positive for the anabolic steroid Turinabol. This violation followed his July 29, 2017, postfight test at UFC 214 in Anaheim against Daniel Cormier. Jones argued he did not knowingly take the steroid, but Commissioner Martha Shen-Urquidez noted that under the commission’s scheme, it does not matter because of strict liability. While his expert Paul Scott argued that the presence of Turinabol in his system was likely due to a contaminated supplement, his attorney Howard Jacobs examined 15 different supplements and two massage creams and found no evidence of contamination. I find it difficult to swallow the contamination argument when his own attorney failed to find any tainted products among his training supplies. You already know the basics of the controversy, but the specific math of the fine matters. The commission voted unanimously to accept the recommendation of executive officer Andy Foster to punish the fighter. The fine was 40 percent of his $500,000 purse, which was $200,000, plus $2,500 on each of two counts of violation of California’s regulations. Jones, who was 30 at the time, swore on his heavenly father that he was not wrong and that he was totally against performance-enhancing drugs. He even admitted his managers had forged his signature on documents stating he had completed mandatory online education courses.

A Pattern of Violations

Jones has faced multiple anti-doping issues that shaped his career. In 2016, an out-of-competition test on June 16 found clomiphene and letrozole in his system, leading to his removal from UFC 200. USADA handed him a one-year ineligibility period starting July 6, 2016, after he was pulled from the Las Vegas event. An arbitrator in that case ruled he did not purposely use substances to enhance performance, but he was still punished for careless and reckless disregard. Following the UFC 214 result change to a no-contest, Jones provided several data points to his defense. He passed a test on July 8, 2017. However, Turinabol appeared in his July 28, 2017, sample. Even though his test on October 11 showed he was free of the substance, the detection of metabolites remains a reality. Jeff Novitzky, the UFC Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance, stated that 21 out of 62 adjudicated cases were deemed non-intentional use. He also noted that 41 of those cases were deemed intentional. The MGSS Panel concluded his degree of fault was at the very top end of the scale in 2016, even as Jones claimed he thought he had taken Cialis.

Returning to the Octagon

The regulations for returning to the UFC changed in 2018. Fighters who leave the promotion of their own accord must enter the USADA drug-testing pool for six months before they can compete.

Jones previously received a one-fight license from the Nevada State Athletic Commission to fight Anthony Smith at UFC 235. Can he ever truly escape the shadow of these repeated violations? In that instance, he faced more frequent testing throughout 2019. New rules state that if a fighter discloses a banned substance prior to signing, they will not face an anti-doping violation, but if they have an established history of use, they must be in the testing pool for at least six months. USADA might also ask that fighter to provide a minimum of two negative samples before they enter the octagon. This is because the in-competition window closes upon a post-fight sample collection. I believe the strict enforcement of the six-month rule for returning athletes prevents fighters from using banned substances during retirement.