Jon Jones gets 1-year suspension from USADA for doping violation stemming from UFC 200

A three-member arbitration panel today upheld a standard one-year suspension for Jon Jones’ UFC 200 drug test failure, rendering the UFC interim light heavyweight champ unable to fight until July 7, 2017, USADA today announced.

Jones hoped to receive a reprimand after arguing his positive out-of-competition test – conducted June 16 by UFC anti-doping partner USADA – was caused by a tainted supplement. But according to a press release from USADA, the panel “concluded Jones’ degree of fault was at the very top end of the scale” for a violation on a “specified substance,” in this case the banned estrogen blockers clomiphene and letrozole.

The one-year suspension is retroactive to the July 6 date on which Jones was provisionally suspended by USADA. (Check out the official USADA decision here.)

The decision marks the first of two punishments facing the interim champ; a hearing with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which regulated UFC 200 on July 9 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, was recently delayed for a second time.

Jones (22-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) argued his case before the arbitration panel at a marathon 10-hour session in Los Angeles, per MMAFighting.com. Afterward, his prominent anti-doping attorney, Howard Jacobs, said he was “happy with how the case went” and awaited a positive decision.

Today’s result presents an obvious setback for the interim champ, who steadfastly denied using performance-enhancing substances after the UFC removed him from a title unifier opposite Daniel Cormier (17-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) at the blockbuster summer pay-per-view event.

Prior to his hearing, Jones, No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA light-heavyweight rankings, unloaded on a Twitter rant about steroids, writing they “didn’t give me the believe that I am the baddest fm on this planet.”

Jones in April picked up the interim title in April at UFC 197 after being stripped of the belt in the wake of a hit-and-run accident which left a pregnant woman with a broken arm. He escaped jail time with a plea bargain.

USADA conducts year-round drug testing and results management for the UFC. Per the UFC, Jones “has been disqualified from all competitive results obtained on and subsequent to July 6, 2016, including forfeiture of any title, ranking, purse, or other compensation.”

For complete coverage of UFC 200, check out the UFC Events section of the site.