Jon Jones, the UFC’s interim light heavyweight champion, and one of the organization’s biggest draws, has been given a one-year suspension by the US Anti-Doping Agency.
The 29 year-old had entered arbitration with Usada last month over an out of competition test in June. The test showed Jones had used the prohibited substances clomiphene and letrozole, which he claimed came from a pill he used to enhance sexual performance. Jones said he had not used them in order to give him an advantage in his fight career. The champion added that he believed he was taking a brand called Cialis, which did not contain banned substances, but had actually been given Tadalafil. Usada tested Tadalafil and confirmed it contained the banned substances.
While the arbitration panel said it believed Jones is not a cheat, it did say he had not done enough to confirm the substance he took was permitted. “On the evidence before the Panel, [Jones] is not a drug cheat,” the panel said. “He did not know that the tablet he took contained prohibited substances or that those substances had the capacity to enhance sporting performance. However by his imprudent use of what he pungently referred to as a ‘dick pill’ he has not only lost a year of his career but an estimated $9m”.
The UFC agreed that Jones was careless rather than a cheat. “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 promotion said in a statement.
As the suspension is retroactive, Jones will be able to fight again in July 2017, a year after he was pulled from the card for UFC 200.
