Jon Jones has been suspended one year by the USADA after testing positive for two banned substances prior to his fight against Daniel Cormier at UFC 200. The Nevada Athletic Commission revealed that Jones was found with clomiphene, and letrozole in his system, both of which are "hormone and metabolic modulators" prohibited by the World Doping Agency.
Jones contends that he took a pill believed to Cialis, which is not prohibited by the USADA. The pill, however, was contaminated and manufactured by another company called All American Peptide. As a result, the USADA deemed the interim light heavyweight champion is "not a drug cheat," but bore "a light degree of fault in taking it." Following their ruling, the UFC released the following statement:
UFC is aware of the one-year sanction levied against Jon Jones as a result of his UFC Anti-Doping Policy violation, decided by a three-person arbitration panel held on Monday, October 31, 2016. UFC has been advised that the one-year suspension commenced on Wednesday, July 6, 2016. While the decision indicates no evidence of Jones' intentional use of banned substances, it does highlight the care and diligence that is required by athletes competing in the UFC to ensure that no prohibited substances enter their system.
The suspension is retroactive to the day the positive test was revealed, which means Jones can return in July 2017. "Bones" released a statement of his own, acknowledging that he's "very happy" to be cleared of intentionally taking a banned substance.
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