Jon Jones’ wallet got a little lighter Tuesday, as he pleaded his case regarding a UFC 214 drug test failure to mostly deaf ears at the CSAC.
The first judgment in the Jon Jones UFC 214 doping case has been handed down — and while it’s likely to be the less serious of the two, the CSAC has still handed Jones a hefty fine. Tuesday afternoon in a 6-0 vote, the California State Athletic Commission opted to levy a $205,000 fine against Jones for his UFC 214 drug test failure. Additionally, they have revoked his fighter’s license, though they did note that upon the conclusion of any punishment handed down by USADA, he could apply to have it reinstated.
In short, the CSAC is leaving the suspension question up to the U.S. Anti-Doping agency, while raking Jones over the coals for a career brimming with missteps outside the cage. The Jones camp attempted to blame his positive test for steroid Turinabol on a tainted supplement, and Jones himself swore on his “heavenly father” that he did not knowingly take steroids. “It’s been science that has been kicking me in the ass, if I can say that” he said (via MMA Junkie). However, Jones’ team was never able to identify the supplement at fault, despite sending “four or five” supplements to expert witness Dr. Paul Scott of Korva Labs to have tested. They sent about 15 to the CSAC’s own expert witness, Dr. Daniel Eichner of the Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory. The SMRTL is one of two WADA-approved labs in the U.S. Scott contended that, were Jones knowingly taking the drug, he would expect levels to have been higher; Eichner, however, said it was impossible to know if Jones had been exposed to the substance via a tainted supplement.
Beyond the scientific evidence, Jones was taken to task for his multitude of prior sins, including his infamous wrecked Bentley and prior drug test failure, which the former UFC light heavyweight champion blamed on sexual enhancement pills. Those were brought up by CSAC commissioner Martha Shen-Urquidez, who came down particularly hard on the fighter. Jones was forced to admit he never disclosed use of the pills prior to UFC 200, when his failed drug test saw him yanked from the card just days before the event. Anderson Silva, the former middleweight champion currently undergoing his own USADA nightmare, eventually stepped in for Jones to take on Daniel Cormier on virtually zero notice.
“I don’t understand how any of this happened,” Jones said at Tuesday’s hearing (via MMA Junkie). “None of this stuff makes sense to me. I have no clue how this happened. I’m trying to figure it out like everyone else.”
“You can call me a little bit of a party-boy or a knucklehead, but a cheater is something I’ll never say that I am, because that’s not who I am,” he added.
With the fine and license revocation in place, Jones must now wait to plead his case with USADA, where he could easily face a suspension of four years from the sport.
