Howard Jacobs, an attorney for former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, has stated the fighter recently tested positive for banned substances due to a contaminated product.
Jones’ showdown with Daniel Cormier at UFC 200 was scrapped in July after traces of clomiphene and letrozole were found in his system after a doping test.
Speaking about the results, Jacobs stated on The Luke Thomas Show on SiriusXM (h/t Nick Baldwin of Bloody Elbow) they’ve discovered the source of these banned substances.
“It came from a product that Jon took that was not labelled with either of these substances,” he said. “We had it tested; the product was contaminated with both of them.”
Here is the audio of the interview in full:
Jacobs also noted in the segment that after sending the product in question to the United States Anti-Doping Agency, they also made the same discovery. “Pretty much every time it’s been tested, it’s shown that the product is contaminated with both clomiphene and letrozole,” he added.
For Jones, this is potentially hugely significant news as he gets set for his appeal hearing on October 31. Per Baldwin, the maximum punishment for Jones could see him suspended for a year, although he could also escape with a warning.
“In a case like this, you can’t argue that you have no fault if you take a supplement or product that’s contaminated,” continued Jacobs. “But you can argue that you’re not significantly at fault, which gives you the ability to argue for a reduced sanction.”
Jones is considered by many to be one of the finest-ever MMA competitors, with 22 wins and one defeat—due to disqualification—from his 23 professional fights.
The man known as Bones was last in the Octagon at UFC 197 in April, where he outclassed Ovince Saint Preux in a unanimous-decision victory. That bout came after a suspension for Jones due to his involvement in a hit-and-run incident; preceding that ban was his win over bitter rival Cormier in 2015, who he dominated over five rounds.
Jones previously tested positive for traces of cocaine in January 2015 and was slapped with a $25,000 fine by the UFC for violating company standards; he was not banned by the Nevada Athletic Commission as the test was out of competition.
