Mike Winkeljohn defends Jon Jones, doubts he'd fight again after 4-year ban

What will happen to Jon Jones if he receives the maximum penalty from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency? Nobody knows for sure.

It can’t be a good sign, though, that Jones’ long-time coach, Mike Winkeljohn, isn’t confident he can rebound from such a devastating blow.

“I don’t know,” Winkeljohn told Submission Radio on Thursday. “If it’s a four-year (suspension), I think it could be just that kind of devastation (that stops Jon from coming back) and, which like I said, it’s not fair, you know?”

Jones, who has denied knowingly cheating, came up dirty at UFC 214 after a post-weigh-ins drug test revealed metabolites of the steroid turinabol in his system. As a result, the California State Athletic Commission overturned his July 29 knockout win over Daniel Cormier, who the UFC reinstated as light heavyweight champion.

Jones (21-1-1 MMA, 15-1-1 UFC) is likely headed to arbitration with USADA in an attempt to clear his name of a second doping violation and faces up to a four-year suspension. Winkeljohn maintains that Jones did not knowingly cheat.

“He messed up in that maybe he took something that someone said was fine, but he’s not doing it thinking, ‘I’m taking steroids’ or something, you know,” Winkeljohn said. “And that’s the part that’s terrible. He’d be devastated at four years. Who knows, you know? Just, that’s just a long time to just spiral downhill, where bad things can happen.

“So that one scares me. If it’s a year, Jon Jones will come back and dominate the world again, I do believe.”

Jones last year failed a test at UFC 200, which canceled his title-unifying main event with Cormier. Jones’ explanation was that he took a tainted sexual enhancement pill containing estrogen blockers that work in conjunction with steroids. He used that defense during arbitration with USADA, which stopped short of declaring him a cheater, though he was still handed a one-year suspension for negligence.

In the lead-up to UFC 214, Jones passed out-of-competition urine tests on July 6 and July 7 and also passed a blood test conducted on fight night. USADA, however, cautioned it was too early to draw conclusions since turinabol is detected only in urine. Jones’ failed test took place July 28 after weigh-ins.

Winkeljohn believes negligence is at play again, adding that it’s unfair Jones is already guilty in the court of public opinion.

“Jon Jones had been tested multiple times going through the fight camp,” Winkeljohn said. “He would not do something like that. The problem is the public perception. They think he’s got these needles and shoving steroids in his arms when, don’t get me wrong, I understand Jon has messed up in the past. He’s got caught drinking and driving. He’s done some bad things. He’s done things that are idiotic. But he’s grown up.

“As far as taking steroids, what he’s been busted for is, you know, taking a Viagra Cialis from Mexico that had something in it. That’s not steroids, but it came up that way. And if I had to guess, it’s going to come out that there’s been something that he took to re-hydrate himself after his cut or somewhere in that style, that time that was some kind of – what do I want to say – some kind of substance that he thought was just a supplement, that someone said, ‘Hey, this will make you feel better. It’s got electrolytes in it and stuff.’

“But it was tainted. And everybody thinks, ‘Yeah, that’s just an excuse.’ But, no, really, that’s it. That’s what it’s going to be.”

For complete coverage of UFC 214, check out the UFC Events section of the site.