Jon Jones failed a doping test. UFC champion Jon Jones passed a positive doping test for turinabol Jon Jones did not pass the dope

Fighter Jon Jones ranks first in the UFC ranking (a sports organization that conducts mixed martial arts competitions, Los Angeles, USA), and is in first place even without taking into account the weight category. He's just the first - that's all. Sports analysts consider Jones the most exciting talent in the entire history of mixed martial arts (MMA). At the same time, he is one of the most undisciplined fighters - prone to illegal behavior and the use of prohibited substances.

Jon Jones recently competed in his first fight after serving a one-year doping suspension. The fighter defeated Daniel Cormier by knockout in the UFC 214 format meeting and again became the champion title holder

However, a little later it turned out that doping control found traces of drug use in Jones' blood turinabol is a substance that increases strength, stimulates muscle growth and accelerates recovery athletes after extreme stress.

Now Jones is predicted to lose his newly regained title and end his career prematurely. If his use of turinabol is confirmed, the fighter faces disqualification for a long 4 years. After such a pause, it will be difficult for Jones to enter the MMA ring again.

A little over a year ago, the fighter was caught using drugs that reduce the concentration of estrogen in the blood. Doctors are well aware that athletes take such substances after a course of steroids (including Turinabol).

Then Jones miraculously ensured that his disqualification lasted only a year - helped by the version that the athlete was using a drug to increase potency, which the fighter spoke about with tears in his eyes, calling journalists to a press conference.

The likelihood that Jones will be able to receive the minimum punishment this time is close to zero, since the athlete’s reputation has only worsened in recent years.

Let us remind you that before disqualification for antiestrogenic drugs Jones was serving another suspension for unlawful conduct.

In 2015, the athlete, while driving, crashed into a car in which there was a pregnant woman and fled the scene of the accident. Subsequently, the police found a pipe with traces of marijuana in Jones’ car and drew the appropriate conclusions

For MMA, the supposed forced retirement of such a talented fighter would be a big loss. After all, Jones holds the record for the most title defenses in the light heavyweight division, the record for the number of victories over UFC Hall of Famers, the record for the number of victories in the light heavyweight category, and other equally striking ones.

What's happened?

Early this morning, the MMA world was stunned by the news: UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was once again caught by USADA for doping. According to TMZ, it was the anabolic steroid Turinabol. The positive drug test was taken on July 28 after the weigh-in for UFC 214, where Jones knocked out light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier in the 3rd round. So far, no decision has been made regarding the offending fighter either from USADA or from the UFC.

Other failed doping tests

Tests taken from John before his first fight with Cormier in January 2015 showed traces of cocaine, but the use of this drug out of competition is not prohibited by WADA, so Jones escaped serious punishment with a $25,000 fine and a short stay in a rehabilitation clinic.

Jones also passed a second positive doping test before the fight with Cormier, but this happened in the summer of 2016. Three days before UFC 200, USADA announced that "Bones" had failed testing and would be removed from the show's lineup (he would be replaced by Anderson Silva). It turned out that the fighter was taking the anti-estrogen clomiphene and the aromatase inhibitor letrozole, as evidenced by an unscheduled doping test on June 16. Jones denied any wrongdoing, saying he was the victim of defective products. In his opinion, these substances were contained in the male enhancement drug Cialis; USADA later confirmed the “contamination” of this drug. However, in November the agency suspended the athlete for one year.

What will be the punishment?

It's no secret that high-level athletes use prohibited substances in one way or another. MMA legend Ken Shamrock once said that wrestlers in the United States start taking steroids while still in college, and this is a mass phenomenon. However, elite athletes are extremely rarely caught using steroids; experts in this matter largely attribute this to the so-called “designer” steroids, which are almost impossible for laboratories to detect. This was actually done by the notorious company BALCO, whose clients included many famous American athletes, in particular boxer Shane Mosley.

Jones had turinabol in his system, a drug developed in the GDR back in the 60s. Interestingly, this very old anabolic steroid is quite common in the United States, as evidenced by the positive doping tests of several MLB baseball players and former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir.

What can Jones expect, given that he has no evidence of his absolute innocence [which is very unlikely]? According to UFC President Dana White, before today's news of the doping scandal, they were considering the option of holding a superfight between Jones and heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 218 in Detroit on December 2. This is the first and least thing Jones will lose.

The fact that the ill-fated test was taken before the fight, and even shortly before the starting signal, may indicate that the victory over Cormier will be taken away from Jones and the fight will be declared invalid. He will also face a fine of approximately 30% of his $500,000 fight purse and the return of his $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus. Of course, with all this, he will again lose the title. Let us remind you that the title has already been taken away from Jones twice without a fight, which is an absolute UFC anti-record. It looks like he will surpass his own "achievement". As for the title, it will not be vacant, White said on this occasion: “As I understand it, Cormier will be the champion. The only guy he has ever lost to in his career is Jon Jones. He was a champion, he will be again , if Jones is vacated of the title."

And now the most interesting thing is the period of disqualification. Jones is a repeat offender and given his “exploits” outside the cage, he cannot expect leniency from the regulatory authorities. For Frank Mir, turinabol was the first banned drug in his career, for which he was caught using it. For this, the veteran received a full 2-year disqualification. Since July 2015, when USADA began to cooperate with the UFC, as many as 9 fighters were disqualified for 2 years, one of them, Ricardo Abreu, subsequently failed another test and for this received a 4-year disqualification.

Jones is now 30 years old and if he receives a suspension of more than 2 years, which is more than expected, it could be an inglorious end to his glorious sports career.

And doping... Apparently, these words will go down in MMA history together. The US Anti-Doping Agency recently notified the UFC that the light heavyweight champion may have violated the organization's rules. The sample taken from Jones on the day of the weigh-in before the tournament turned out to be positive. This news literally blew up the MMA world, pushing even the confrontation between McGregor and Mayweather into the background. We offer you a full overview of the entire situation.

UPDATE! The “B” doping test also showed the presence of prohibited drugs in Jones’ blood. .

Jon Jones's doping history

All over the world, many fighters have been caught using banned substances. There is nothing new or surprising in this situation. But we are talking about the best fighter of all time and No. 1 in the P4P rating. For whom, moreover, this is not the first failure. Jon Jones and illegal drugs have an interesting relationship history, with plenty of interesting moments.

The first alarming signal was a positive test for cocaine, which “Bones” passed in December 2014. Despite the positive test, no sanctions were applied to Jones, since cocaine was not a substance prohibited for out-of-competition use. The champion escaped with public censure and a course of rehabilitation for drug addiction.

The second incident occurred last year and had more serious consequences. A few days before the anniversary UFC 200, which was supposed to headline the title rematch between Jones and John, “Bones” was removed from the fight due to again failed testing. This time in . As a result of the hearings, the ex-champion managed to prove that the substances entered his body by accident and were part of a potency enhancing product. As a result, Jones was suspended for a year and stripped of the interim champion title he held at that time.

The third episode happened quite recently. Little is known about him, but there is a possibility that he will end a great career. According to the Western resource TMZ, turinabol was found in Jones’ blood (steroids that are used to increase muscle mass and endurance, website note), but USADA officials have not yet confirmed this version.

Jon Jones and doping: official reaction

At this point, several statements from interested parties have already been released. The official UFC website published a standard communiqué in which it reported a possible violation of its anti-doping policy, as well as guaranteeing Jon Jones a full and fair hearing in this matter. The fighter himself has not yet given comments either to news resources or on his social networks.

Andy Foster, California State Athletic Commission Commissioner:

“The California State Athletic Commission has been made aware of Jon Jones' test results and is reviewing the matter. The Commission takes the matter very seriously and will only take the necessary action after a thorough investigation. Like all fighters, Mr. Jones has every right to ensure that the procedure is carried out properly. The Commission will cooperate with the US Anti-Doping Agency to obtain relevant information."

Dana White, UFC President:

“I probably feel the same way you did when you heard about it. This is unthinkable. In my opinion, he is the best of those who competed in MMA. The best ever. This makes the situation even more frustrating. If he gets two or three years, it could be the end of his career. As far as his legacy goes, this may be the end of his career. Look at what could have been done, what he could have done. It's all sad. I do not even know what to say. I always know what to say, but not this time. Cormier's only loss has been to Jones throughout his career. He was a champion. He's a champion if Jones isn't."

Daniel Cormier, former UFC light heavyweight champion, Jones' main rival:

"WITHchoose the wrong wordsto explain how I feel now. After hearing all this news, I am disappointed. All this causes a lot of emotions. As athletes, we have the right to a proper investigation, and I will refrain from commenting further until I know exactly what happened. In my opinion, on July 29th I competed and lost. I think Jon Jones was better that day. I don't know what else to think. I don't believe that we will have to go through all this again. Let's see how everything turns out. Thank you to all my fans who support me during this dark time. I love you all very much."

Malki Kawa, Jon Jones' manager

“At the moment we are all at a loss for words for this situation. John, his trainers, his nutritionists and his entire team have worked tirelessly all year to prevent this from happening. We will retest the samples to determine the authenticity of what happened or the sources of the prohibited substances. John is devastated by this news and we as a team must do everything we can to support him."

Consequences for Jones's career

As we noted above, Jon Jones and doping have a long and intimate history. The fighter has already proven to representatives of the athletic commission that he did not use prohibited substances to improve his athletic performance. However, this time everything will be much more complicated. There is no official confirmation yet, but the use of drugs like turinabol threatens a two-year disqualification, even if the athlete made a mistake the first time. In Jones' case, the sentence would be extended due to relapse, and the California Athletic Commission has a reputation for being tough. It was in this state that Alexander Shlemenko was disqualified for 3 years.

No matter how the trial turns out, Jones' legacy will always go hand in hand with the word "doping" and a huge amount of suspicion. In 3-4 years, the entire MMA world may change beyond recognition. And the light heavyweight division will now change for sure. Cormier will most likely retire, and the promotion will not be able to play the great rivalry card again. And new faces will see in Jones not an invincible champion, but an aged loser fighter who did not realize his greatest talent and tarnished his career.

Shocking news came from the USA - UFC light heavyweight champion John Jones failed USADA testing for prohibited substances. The check was done during the competition period, immediately after the weigh-in of the fighters on July 28.

Traces of turinabol, an anabolic steroid known from the doping scandals with East German athletes in the 70s and 80s, were found in Jones’s body. USADA punishes anyone caught using turinabol with a 2-year suspension if it is the first time. But Jones has already failed testing twice (first for cocaine, then for clomiphene and letrozole), and his suspension could be much longer.

The TMZ portal hastened to report that John Jones stripped of the champion title, and this title is returned to the losing mind by knockout Daniel Cormier. However, UFC President Dana White later said in an interview with ESPN that this has not yet been decided.

Jones is currently suspended pending a USADA hearing on his case.

The champion's camp is convinced of his innocence and does not see logic in the prosecution's version USADA.

Turinabol is an anabolic steroid widely used by athletes that affects the growth of lean muscle mass, increasing endurance and strength. According to preliminary data, Jones could have swallowed the pill in the interval between the control weigh-in and the performance.

Knowing Jones, one would expect anything from him, but even this outburst seems strange, given that in all previous months he had been under close surveillance by the Anti-Doping Agency and had not aroused any suspicion.

Taking one tablet of Turinabol would have given Jones absolutely nothing, says the champion’s teammate Frank Lester who called the incident a setup in order to remove the strongest athlete from the game:

"We were having dinner, I was sitting next to Jones when he received a phone call about this. Allegedly, between the weigh-in and the fight, he managed to orally inject himself with a prohibited drug. This is complete nonsense, since it would not have helped John in any way. Steroids only work after course, begin to take effect after a week of using them. To say that he was depressed by the news is to say nothing. This is a set-up, a pure set-up! Not a single fighter takes cheap tablet steroids the night before a performance, after spending the entire camp "clean" because he knows full well that he will be tested as soon as the fight is over. This is a setup. They are trying to ruin the guy's life. There is no point in all this, and John did not intend to do this. Let's see how this all ends, but I'm sure he's innocent and you'll give him a chance before you jump to a conclusion."

Message from Team Jon Jones , which was distributed by his manager Malki Kava, sounds much more restrained:

"We are all at a complete loss right now. John, his trainers, nutritionists and all the team members associated with the preparation for this fight have been meticulously monitoring everything for 12 months and working to avoid this situation. We have tested absolutely every product to ensure legality or illegality of their use. John is devastated by this news, and as a team we are doing everything we can to support him at this time."

So far, this is only the first reaction of interested parties, and, apparently, a specially convened press conference is not far off, at which Jon Jones’ official position will be announced.

Dana White:

According to the president of the American promotion, he knows little more than the average fan and is not ready to discuss the incident until USADA conducts additional research.

"This is crazy. I'm sure I felt the same way as you when I heard the news. I'm not going to say anything until this is all over and it's official."

"Unfortunately, peace never comes when you're dealing with guys like John... but in my opinion, he's the best that's ever done it. He's the best in the sport." White told DWCS 7.

If Jones is found guilty of doping, then, as a repeat offender, he faces up to four years of disqualification. In this case, the belt will return back to the one he defeated in July Daniel Cormier, and Jones' future will likely be over, White said.

"In terms of legacy, this could be the end of his career. It's tough. He's 30 now? Trying to get back to being 33 or 34 again. Imagine what he could have become and what he could have achieved in that time. It's sad."

"As far as I'm concerned, Corme will be the champion. The only guy he ever lost to in his career was Jon Jones. If Jones stops competing, Daniel will take his place."

It turns out that another failure by Jones thwarted the UFC's plans to organize a super-fight between him and the heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. How much truth there is in this, one can only guess, now that John will probably be out of the game for several years, one can say anything.

“We have already started discussing with Jones his performance at heavyweight, probably against Miocic.” , - said White.

Daniel Cormier:

"It's hard to find words to describe how I feel right now. "I'm disappointed by this news. It's a very emotional moment."- Cormier said in an interview with MMAFighting.com

"We are athletes and have the right to due process of justice. So I will refrain from commenting on the topic until we know what really happened."

"In my mind, on July 29th I fought and lost. I thought Jon Jones was the better fighter that day. Now I don't know what to think. I can't believe we're going through this again. Let's see what will happen next".

"Thank you to all my fans who supported me during difficult times. I love you very much."

valetudo.ru

According to available information, Jones, who made a triumphant return to action after a year-long suspension for using estrogen blockers, this time failed a test for the anabolic steroid Turinabol.

"The United States Anti-Doping Agency has notified the UFC of a potential violation of the organization's anti-doping policy by Jon Jones, which was identified during competitive testing that took place on July 28 following the UFC 214 weigh-in," the UFC said in a statement. “USADA, as the independent administrator of the UFC's anti-doping policies, will review the results of the review and make an appropriate disciplinary decision in Jones' case. As always, we note that as part of the organization's anti-doping policy, each fighter has the right to a thorough and fair trial before any sanctions are imposed. The California State Athletic Commission also has jurisdiction in this matter because the drug test was taken the day before Jones' fight at UFC 214 in Anaheim, and USADA is ensuring that the CSAC receives all necessary information to make an appropriate judgment on a potential anti-doping violation. Further information on the case will be provided at the appropriate time as the process progresses."

As for Jon Jones himself, his manager, Malki Kawa, also released a statement saying that they plan to retest the drug samples to determine the validity of the results or the source of the contamination.

“We are all at a loss for words right now,” the statement reads. “John, his trainers, nutritionists, the entire camp have worked tirelessly and carefully over the last 12 months to avoid this situation. We will retest the drug samples to determine the validity of the results or the source of contamination. John is devastated by this news and we as a team will do everything we can to support him."

Let us recall that shortly before the UFC 200 tournament, in which he was supposed to have a unification fight with Daniel Cormier, Jon Jones was excluded from the participants of the anniversary event after estrogen blockers, clomiphene and letrozole were found in his doping test.

In professional sports, both substances are used to inhibit the conversion of testosterone into female sex hormones (estrogens), as well as to increase muscle mass. Often, the use of these antiestrogens is combined with the use of anabolic steroids, including the so-called “post-cycle therapy”.

During the proceedings in the arbitration court, where John Jones filed his case, the fighter admitted to using Cialis, which increases erectile function and libido, and a laboratory test confirmed the presence of clomiphene and letrozole in the drug, which were found in the body of the light heavyweight. As a result, three arbitrators from the independent arbitration firm McLaren Global Sports Solutions considered Jon Jones' level of guilt to be "close to the maximum mark", and went beyond a verbal warning and a fine, setting the best fighter in the world the maximum punishment provided for in this case by the WADA disciplinary code. It is worth noting that this was the first precedent in UFC history when a fighter who failed the USADA test went to arbitration with his case.