The situation for UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones has gotten worse because the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) has overturned his title fight winning bout over Daniel Cormier at UFC 214 to a no contest.
MMA Fighting first reported the story.
This comes on the heels of a second USADA violation for Jones, the first USADA violation came just before another bout with Cormier at UFC 200.
Jones had been waiting for the results of the B sample of his failed drug test, but it was announced this past Tuesday Night that the B sample also had the illegal substance known as Turinabol.
Also announced Wednesday was the fact that Daniel Cormier was reinstated as UFC Light Heavyweight Champion by UFC President Dana White. Cormier spoke of the news on the latest episode of UFC Tonight. Below is a clip and transcript of Cormier's comments.
“If it’s a no contest, then the fight didn’t happen. (Dana White) said, ‘If one of you guys would have missed weight, he would have won the fight, but you still would have kept the belt. Because of that, the championship is getting returned to you.’ The fight is a no contest. If he cheated, he could not have fought, cheated and still won the fight.
“Once again, I’m the UFC champion. People will say stuff like, 'you got handed the belt' He cheated and the reality is for me to say, ‘I don’t want this title,’ when I was going be in a championship fight anyway, financially it’s just a big difference if I don’t fight as the champion as opposed to fighting for the title.”
“He disqualified himself for taking a steroid before the fight, so it didn’t happen. Now I get the belt back, which is the right thing to do. I’m not only saying that because it’s me. It’s the right thing to do. You don’t cheat the sport, you don’t cheat the fans, you don’t cheat me. You have all the physical advantages. You’re 30 years old, you’re 6-4, you’ve got an 85-inch reach. I’m 38 years old. I would love to take stuff and not have to wake up every morning and walk down my stairs sideways. We had one of the biggest fights of the year. Once again this guy has made a mockery of the sport.”
The UFC have issued a statement, which read:
UFC was informed Wednesday that the result of the UFC 214 bout between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier on July 29 was overturned by the California State Athletic Commission. The ruling changes the Jones ‘win’ to a ‘no contest’ following a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an in-competition sample collected after Jones’ weigh-in on July 28, 2017.
As this was a title bout, Cormier will be reinstated as UFC light heavyweight champion.
USADA has yet to hand down any punishment to Jones themselves, other than a provincial suspension, a punishment could be announced any time. The UFC Light Heavyweight Champion could face up to four years suspension, since this is his second violation of the drug testing policy.
Outside of the USADA punishment, the CSAC is also allowed to hand Jones a punishment and that is expected to be announced at their meeting this coming October.
