UFC champion Jon Jones: 'I'm not a cocaine addict by any means'

UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones is not a cocaine “by any means” addict and simply made a “dumb” decision.

That’s what MMA’s 27-year-old pound-for-pound kingpin says in his first interview since failing a drug test and receiving a UFC-issued $25,000 fine.

The interview airs Monday night at 11 p.m. ET (8 p.m. PT) on “FOX Sports Live.” Charissa Thompson hosts the FOX Sports 1-televised interview, a preview of which can be found above.

Jones (21-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC) notched his eighth consecutive title defense after earning a unanimous-decision victory over Daniel Cormier (15-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) in UFC 182’s pay-per-view headliner on Jan. 3. However, a few days after the Las Vegas title, the Nevada State Athletic Commission confirmed Jones failed a pre-fight drug test due to benzoylecgonine, the primary metabolite of cocaine.

Although Jones and the UFC said the fighter would enter a drug-treatment program and would take it “very seriously,” the fighter’s mom later said he left the facility after one night (though UFC President Dana White subsequently suggested there is more to the story).

In his FOX Sports interview, Jones said he made a poor decision and didn’t have a serious problem.

“It’s a really embarrassing situation,” he said. “I had to explain to so many people I’m not a cocaine addict by any means. (I’m) not even a frequent user. I just made a really dumb decision and really got caught with my pants down with this whole situation.”

Because cocaine isn’t currently banned out of competition by the NSAC, Jones received no commission-levied fine or suspension.

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For more on UFC 182, check out the UFC Events section of the site.