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.

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It’s a familiar story, and one that understandably demands answers. Fans want answers, the promotion wants answers, and at some point, both the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) and U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) will want answers as well. Jones, however, has kept quiet on the subject aside from posting some vague scriptural references on social media. That is, until now.

Jones replied to Twitter user Thomas Kinsella (@Na_Fianna), who implored him to “just tell the truth” about his alleged steroid use. To that, “Bones” replied by saying that “Dude the truth is I would never do steroids, I put that on my children and I put that on my Heavenly Father.”

Dude the truth is I would never do steroids, I put that on my children and I put that on my Heavenly Father https://t.co/i8EEbrQU5x

— Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) September 14, 2017

Whatever your thoughts on Jon Jones, it’s clear he’s not simply going to admit to any wrong doing. Whether that helps or hurts his already badly tarnished image in the long run remains to be seen. The disgraced former champion is potentially looking at a suspension of up to four years, not to mention possible fines and loss of income from being unable to compete or represent sponsors.

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That’s great news for Cormier, and not exactly surprising. The decorated wrestler and former Strikeforce heavyweight champion announced the news on Wednesday’s edition of UFC Tonight.

“Dana White called me today and he said if it’s a no contest then the fight didn’t happen,” Cormier explained on the show. “He says, ‘if one of you guys would’ve missed weight, and he would’ve won the fight, you still would’ve kept the belt.’”

According to Cormier, White added that “‘because of that, the championship is getting returned to you. The fight is a no contest. If he cheated, he could not have fought and cheated and still won the fight.’ So once again, I’m the UFC champion.”

He also took aim at those who might criticize him having the title handled back, pointing out that Jones, knowingly or not, cheated. He then added the following:

He disqualified himself for taking a steroid before the fight, so it didn’t happen. So now I get the belt back, which is the right thing to do. And 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, sir. 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.

While not unexpected, it seems things have moved at a lightening fast pace in the last twenty-four hours or so. Yesterday, Jones’ B Sample was announced as having tested positive for the steroid Turinabol. That confirmed the original positive test from a sample taken following the UFC 214 weigh-ins back in July. Jones won the fight that night, but the result was changed earlier today to a No Contest as a result of the positive test.

Jones, as a repeat offender having failed a drug test prior to UFC 200 (for which he received a one-year suspension by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency), is looking at up to four years away from the sport thanks to this most recent infraction. As UFC 214 took place in California, they hold jurisdiction, but Jones will also be dealing with USADA once again. In short, things aren’t looking good for the now former champion, who has been stripped of the UFC light heavyweight title three times in his career, including losing the interim title after the UFC 200 debacle.

In regards to the title reverting back to Cormier, the UFC released the following statement:

“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.”

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As the UFC, not the athletic commission, controls its championship belts, the change does not automatically mean that the title will revert back to Cormier. For the time being, the title remains with Jon Jones, though it’s likely the UFC will move to strip him. It could, however, wait for the outcome of the arbitration process, which is excepted to take at least several months.

Jones finished Cormier in the third round of their UFC 214 main event, setting up the finish with a head kick. Cormier, who had held the title in Jones’ absence, was visibly devastated after the loss. In the build-up to UFC 214, he had accused Jones of taking performance enhancing drugs through much of his career.

Jon Jones has twice been stripped of UFC light heavyweight titles before — once after hitting a pregnant woman with his car and fleeing the scene in 2015, then again last year after testing positive for performance enhancing substances prior to UFC 200. That failed drug test, which Jones blamed on sexual performance pills, resulted in a year-long suspension by USADA.

Jones could be looking at a suspension of up to four years as a result of his prior suspension.

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Jones tested positive prior to defeating champion Daniel Cormier by KO in the third round of their main event bout at UFC 214 in July. The failed test took place after weigh-ins for the event, which went forward as results were not immediately available. That win is increasingly looking as if it will be changed to a No Contest, which could see the belt revert back to Cormier (given with a No Contest, it will be as if the fight never took place).

Jones’ next step will be arbitration with USADA, a process he should be familiar with. Jones went through the USADA process after failing a pre-fight drug test prior to UFC 200. He was eventually cleared of intentionally taking a prohibited substance, but suspended a year regardless for carelessly ingesting not one but two substances on the banned list – clomiphene and letrozole.

Despite reports that Jones passed a blood test following the positive test for turinabol, it should be noted that the steroid, developed in East Germany in the late 50s/early 60s, is only detectable via a urine analysis. That’s exactly the test that found the it in Jones’ case. It’s also apparently the same steroid that fellow Jackson-Winklejohn teammate Frank Mir tested positive for last year.

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Now, after reportedly testing positive for an anabolic steroid, the disgraced fighter, who has twice been stripped of UFC titles, could be banned from the sport for two years or more. Once considered a lock as one of the greatest fighters of all time, there’s also a serious question about how this will impact Jones’ legacy.

In a statement to MMA Fighting, Jon Jones’ manager Malki Kawa said that:

We are all at a complete loss for words right now. Jon, his trainers, his nutritionists and his entire camp have worked tirelessly and meticulously the past 12 months to avoid this exact situation. We are having the samples tested again to determine the validity or source of contamination. Jon is crushed by this news and we are doing whatever we can as a team, to support him.

Daniel Cormier, who Jones knocked out at UFC 214, reclaiming the UFC light heavyweight championship in the process, also spoke to MMA Fighting.

It’s hard to find words to describe how I’m feeling right now. I’m disappointed to hear the news. It’s very emotional. We as athletes are entitled to due process, and I will refrain from saying much more until I know exactly what happened.

In my mind, on July 29, I competed and I lost. I thought Jon Jones was the better man that day. I don’t know what to think anymore. I can’t believe we are going through all of this again. We will see what happens next.

Jones himself has yet to comment on the matter. However, teammate Frank Lester, an 11-6 welterweight and teammate of Jones who appeared on The Ultimate Fighter 9, posted a rather bizarre theory as to how the failure took place. Lester, who lost his one and only UFC fight at the TUF 9 finale, wrote on Facebook that

I was just at dinner sitting next to Jon Jones when he got the phone call about this failed drug test. Supposedly the story is between weigh ins and fight night he took a oral steroid. Which makes zero sense since it wouldn’t do anything at all for Jones to do so. It takes weeks for steroids to build up in your system to be a performance enhancer. Jon was devastated to say the least. This is a set up, straight up, no athlete would test clean his entire fight camp, and then randomly take some cheap fucking oral steroid between weigh ins and fight night knowing he would be tested once he got done fighting. This is a straight set up. They are trying to ruin this kids life. It makes no sense and Jon wouldn’t do it. Let’s see what happens with all of this but I truly believe Jon is innocent & I hope that all of you will give him a fair chance before you send hateful judgements his way.

While Jones is entitled to due process, this conspiracy theory ignores a number of factors. Those would include who would be out to get Jon Jones, his frankly murky history with banned substances both recreational and performance enhancing, and the fact that while Turinabol (which TMZ reports is the substance Jones failed for) is an anabolic steroid that has been around forever, it is still in use. Frank Mir was suspended by USADA last year for that exact substance.

More news is no doubt likely to follow — stay tuned!

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As per the UFC’s statement,

The UFC organization was notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Jon Jones of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an in-competition sample collected following his weigh-in on July 28, 2017.

USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case involving Jones, as it relates to the UFC Anti-Doping Policy and future UFC participation. Under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, there is a full and fair legal process that is afforded to all athletes before any sanctions are imposed. The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) also retains jurisdiction over this matter as the sample collection was performed the day before Jones’ bout at UFC 214 in Anaheim, CA, and USADA will work to ensure that the CSAC has the necessary information to determine its proper judgment of Jones’ potential anti-doping violation.

The news will no doubt send Daniel Cormier for a loop, and may lift the fallen champ’s spirits. Cormier previously contended that Jones was on performance enhancing drugs throughout most of his career.

TMZ is reporting that Jones tested positive for Turinabol, an anabolic steroid. Traditionally, neither the UFC nor USADA publicly release the substance a fighter tested positive for this early in the process. However, if correct, Jones would be looking at a suspension of two years, and his earlier failed drug test leading up to UFC 200 under the USADA regime will likely be considered. That failed drug test, for a pair of estrogen blockers, resulted in a year-long suspension for Jones, though USADA cleared him of intentionally taking the substances. Instead, Jones blamed “d*** pills” he had taken.

With the test failure, Jones could be looking at the loss of his newly won title in addition to suspension. Were his win over Cormier overturned, DC would regain his title belt. In short, the UFC’s light heavyweight division is about to be thrown into pure chaos.

Should Jones be found to have taken steroids and wind up stripped of his title, he will have been stripped of a UFC belt for the third time. Jones already holds the promotional record for having been stripped of a title twice, having lost the light heavyweight title after hitting a pregnant woman with his car and fleeing the scene, then the interim title after the failed UFC 200 drug test.

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At the evening’s post-fight press conference, White was clear in what he thought of the fight, through which fans at times chanted “boring” and frequently booed the fighters’ efforts. “Listen, it’s easy to say a win is a win but when you get booed out of an arena, that means people don’t want to watch you fight” White said. “And that’s how you make a living. It’s not good if people don’t want to watch you fight.”

White also pointed out that the bout set a record — for the least strikes thrown in a welterweight title fight.

Now, Woodley has fired back — and he is demanding a public apology, or else. The “or else” in question? Woodley, speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour (via MMAFighting), says if the public apology doesn’t come, he’ll start leaking state UFC secrets.

“I’ve done nothing but be a good model for the f***ing organization” the 170lb champ told Helwani. “I go out there and I fight with integrity. I covered your sport from the FOX desk a week before my fight. I always uphold my responsibilities to the organization. It’s timeout for that.”

“The word behind ‘business’ is ‘man.’ You need to be a man, you owe me a public apology” he stated, in reference to White. “And if I don’t get that, I’m going to start leaking some s*** that people don’t want to be out in the wind. I’m not even kidding about that.”

Just what would Woodley be leaking? “They know what I’m referring to. I’m due a public apology.”

Woodley, who also told the show that he never expected to get the GSP fight (which has since been handed back to middleweight champ Michael Bisping), also pointed to a shoulder injury as the reason for his performance at UFC 214.

“My shoulder popped out, not once, three times in that fight” the champ said. “I felt it the first time, I’ve had a labrum tear before — I’m like, ‘oh sh*t, I think I tore my labrum.'”

No word on what’s next for Woodley, though former champ Robbie Lawler picked up a win at Donald Cerrone at the event. It will also be interesting to see what response, if any, Woodley’s demand gets from the UFC.

The post UFC: Tyron Woodley Demands Public Apology from Dana White, Or He’ll Leak Secrets appeared first on Cageside Press.

Cormier didn’t have much to say at the time, but he has now released a statement addressing the loss, and at the very least, he seems in somewhat better spirits. In a post to Instagram, he speaks to the loss, his reaction to ref Big John McCarthy calling off the fight, and more.

Addressing new champ Jon Jones, with whom Cormier has feuded for most of his UFC career, DC said “Congratulations to Jon Jones and his team. They did a phenomenal job and got the victory.”

He then turned his attention to ref Big John, who he called “the best in the business.” After the stoppage at UFC 214, Cormier had turned his ire on the pioneering MMA referee, feeling the stoppage came too early. However, Cormier was unaware of being out, and in all honesty the fight probably could have been stopped sooner — McCarthy allowed Cormier every chance to stay in the bout.

“Also, to Big John McCarthy, I would like to apologize for acting up with you” Cormier said in his statement. “I am thankful for the time you gave me to try and defend myself and stay in the fight. You are the best in the business for a reason.”

You can read Daniel Cormier’s full statement below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BXMcRjEhW6j/

So where does DC go from here? Having lost to Jones twice, and pushing forty, it seems unlikely that another light heavyweight title fight is in the cards any time soon. North to heavyweight is a possibility, as Cormier is undefeated in that weight class.

The post Daniel Cormier Releases Statement Following UFC 214 Loss appeared first on Cageside Press.

Finding the proper response to much of the news finding its way into our social media feeds is becoming a tougher task every day. Nothing is surprising, and there’s always more to the story. Leaving us with one reply: “huh?”.

Last night at UFC 214 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Volkan Oezdemir earned himself a shot at the light heavyweight title, Jared Brooks made the most of his delayed UFC debut, and Dana White shared his feelings on Tyron Woodley’s successful title-defense against Demain Maia.

The reason “huh?”, in its various forms, is such a quality reply is simple. The word is as versatile as a response gets, and while it may require some explanation, “huh?” is sometimes the only way to react to the news of today. Defined by Merriam-Webster as an interjection that’s “used to express surprise, disbelief, or confusion, or as an inquiry inviting affirmative reply”, “huh” or “huh?” can mean a lot of different things.

Despite some of the follies of human evolution (see: The Emjoi Movie), the development and growth of “huh” is something we should embrace. To be the change we want to see in the world, here are a few moments from last night’s action at UFC 214 that made us go “huh?”.

GSP and Bisping is (back?) on.

Following his victory over Yoel Romero at UFC 213, interim middleweight champion Robert Whittaker was congratulated post-fight in the Octagon by current 185-pound champ Michael Bisping. There were call-outs, swearing, and it looked as though the announced-bout between Bisping and former welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre was off. Then, in the build to the welterweight title-fight between champion Tyron Woodley and Demian Maia, the promotion publicized UFC President Dana White’s recent quote about the winner of the bout taking on GSP upon his return.

But, things changed. During the fifth-round of Woodley’s successful (yet boring) title-defense against Maia at UFC 214, White changed his mind. Huh?

White on how Bisping v GSP is bsck: "that ship turned around and sailed the fuck back."

Adds he made that decision during round 5 of TW/DM.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) July 30, 2017

Fans were equally unimpressed with the bout, with boos coming from the Anaheim crowd for the majority of the fight. Following Woodley’s extremely boring victory over Stephen Thompson in their rematch at UFC 209, fans had little tolerance for his patient performance against Maia. Now, it looks as though rather than challenging Woodley for the 170-pound belt later this year, it will be Bisping and his 185-pound belt that St. Pierre fights for. Not only that, but the fight will be happening at Madison Square Garden at UFC 217 in November, and the winner will fight current interim middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in 2018. Huh.

Confirmed with sources that Bisping vs GSP has been agreed to for MSG on 11/4. Should be signed in the coming days.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) July 30, 2017

Life comes at you fast in the UFC. But this is still kind of crazy. Last November, Woodley’s first bout with Stephen Thompson was one of the best fights of 2016, stealing the show in the promotion’s MSG debut. Now, after two more succsseful title-defenses, Woodley has worked himself off of the upcoming MSG PPV.

His victory over Maia came after former champion Robbie Lawler returned to the Octagon with a decision win over Donald Cerrone earlier in the card. So, maybe Woodley finds himself in a rematch with Lawler instead of defending his belt against St. Pierre. Either way, the saga of St. Pierre-Bisping continues to confuse us, and we just hope it ends with two people eventually fighting in an Octagon on TV.

Volkan. Freaking. Oezdemir.

The hype train picked up even more steam at UFC 214, as Volkan Oezdemir delivered the goods once again. Knocking out Jimi Manuwa 42-seconds into the first round, Oezdemir collected his third straight win since joining the UFC in January. Defeating the likes of Ovince Saint-Preux and Misha Cirkunov heading into Anaheim’s PPV, the former Titan FC heavyweight contender has found himself in the 205-pound title-picture. Huh?

The division has struggled to find fresh title-contenders in recent-years, as the same core group of fighters remained atop the rankings for month after month. Then, filling-in on short notice for Jan Blachowicz earlier this year, Oezdemir took advantage of his shot at the UFC, and now has his name on the short-list for Fighter of the Year.

With time to train for his opponent, Oezdemir has looked unbeatable in the UFC. Following his mauling of Manuwa, he called-out the winner of the rematch between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier happening later in the evening. While nobody would be mad at the idea of Jones defending his new-ish belt in another rematch against former foe Alexander Gustafsson, or a super-fight against Brock Lesnar, Oezdemir is more than deserving of a shot at the UFC light heavyweight title.

Excited Jared Brooks makes the most of his UFC debut

Flyweight prospect Jared Brooks had been waiting for his UFC debut for a while. Originally slated to fight Ian McCall at UFC 208 in February, Brooks finally got the chance to experience the Octagon at UFC 214 last night. He was amped-up at the weigh-ins earlier in the week, and was equally excited during his walkout, which featured tons of energy, emotion, and yelling.

His performance against Eric Shelton didn’t go as well as he would’ve liked, but Brooks earned the split-decision win. The win moved the 24-year-old’s record to 13-0, giving the fading flyweight division another potential contender. Following the win, “The Monkey God” (huh?) called-out fellow 125-pound prospects Magomed Bibulatov and Ben Nguyen. Huh.

Shooting for the UFC 216 pay-per-view in early-December in Detroit, Brooks battling either of these up-and-coming flyweights would be a great test of his credentials. Both Bibulatov and Nguyen are currently ranked in the UFC’s official flyweight rankings, and are coming off of wins in 2017. Whether or not the promotion wants to pit two of their most promising prospects against each other, in a division that needs title-challengers, is another story. But if guys like Brooks are going to join the fray with the likes of Bibulatov, Nguyen, Tim Elliott, Brandon Moreno, Sergio Pettis, and more, then maybe we should keep the men’s 125-pound division around for a while.

UFC 214 was an incredible card, and undeniably the best card of the year. Featuring stars from a variety of divisions, all successfully making weight and showing-up, Anaheim was redeemed after getting UFC 208 cancelled earlier this year. There were impressive and memorable performances throughout, and it’s hard to ask for much more. From Tyron Woodley losing his date with Georges St. Pierre to Volkan Oezdemir and Jared Brooks making the most of their newfound spotlight, UFC 214 didn’t disappoint. Huh.

Huh? for the road

Did Jarred Brooks just cup check Herb Dean? #UFC214 pic.twitter.com/26jMxPTaOS

— Nolan King (@mma_kings) July 29, 2017

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