UFC News: Jon Jones Tests Positive For An 'Atypical' Finding; UFC 232 To Move To Los Angeles, California
What's the story?
Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Jon Jones, is once again being scrutinized leading up to his return to the Octagon on December 29th, 2018, after a 15-month layoff from the sport.
The ex-champion was found to have failed yet another drug screening by the United States Doping Agency (USADA), only this time, Jones will be cleared to fight for the vacant light heavyweight title in the highly-anticipated UFC 232 event.
However, the fight between Jones and Gustafsson will not be taking place in the previously scheduled T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
In case you didn't know..
For the past few years now, Jon Jones has found himself to be amidst a ton of controversial situations, that has substantially hindered his rate of frequency in the competition. Jones was the UFC's light heavyweight champion until April 2016, after which, the promotion stripped him of his title for his involvement in a hit-and-run accident. An indefinite suspension, along with a probation period, was levied on him soon after the incident.
'Bones' was back in action once again in April 2016, when he beat Ovince Saint Preux for the UFC's interim light heavyweight championship. This fight was a set-up leading to his big rematch against Daniel Cormier at UFC 200, for the light heavyweight title.
His contest for the belt against Cormier, however, was cancelled after he tested positive for a performance-enhancing steroid, just three days before his title fight. Soon after the matter, the UFC stripped Jones, once again, of his interim title and was subsequently suspended for a year by the company.
After serving his suspension, Jon Jones returned at UFC 214 in a much-awaited title fight against Daniel Cormier, for the light heavyweight championship of the world. Jones went on to defeat Cormier in the third round of their title fight, by knocking him out with a head kick, once again claiming his light heavyweight title back.
A few weeks after his UFC 214 contest, Jones tested positive for Turinabol, an anabolic steroid that is often to boost testosterone levels in the system. Following the incident, Jones was yet again suspended indefinitely by the UFC, only to return 15-months later as a result of revised abeyance.
The heart of the matter
On December 6th, 2018, a drug test was conducted by the USADA that found a trace amount of Chlorodehydromethyltestosterone (DHCMT), or Turinabol, in Jon Jones' system. As a result of a shortage in time, the Nevada State Athletic Commission sought after the help from other investigating experts, who joined forces to keep Jones cleared to fight for the UFC 232 event.
UFC vice president for Athlete Health and Performance, Jeff Novitzky, claims that Jones' positive test result, is in fact, not a violation. He went on to say that the USADA believes this to be a 'pulsing' effect from Jones' last UFC 214 test failure, and not new ingestion of the substance. He elaborated by saying:
A picogram is a one-trillionth of a gram. If you put one grain of salt on the table and split it up into 50 million pieces, a picogram is one of those pieces of that gram of salt. These levels have shown up in the single and double digits of picograms – so such a small amount.
Jon Jones, however, will be allowed to compete at UFC 232, but the location of the event has now been shifted to Los Angeles, California. The California State Athletic Commission is expected to grant Jones with a license to fight within the state of California, for his rematch against Alexander Gustafsson, for the main event at UFC 232.
What's next?
The UFC is moving to The Forum in Inglewood, California, for their upcoming UFC 232 event, in just one week's notice. Business is going to be as usual for the event, and fireworks are expected from the stacked preliminary and main fight cards.
Who do you think will win in this monumental rematch between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson? Leave us with your predictions in the comments section below!