Jones off UFC 200 for potential UFC Anti-Doping violation

Jon Jones is out of the main event for UFC 200 and off of the card entirely after he was flagged for a potential UFC anti-doping policy.  The UFC was informed of the potential violation on Wednesday night.

Jones is said to address the potential USADA violation on Thursday morning.

The positive test is a result of an out-of-competition sample on June 16, 2016.  According to the UFC anti-doping policy

Via UFC.com:

The UFC organization was notified tonight that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Jon Jones of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collection on June 16, 2016.

USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case. It is important to note that, under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, there is a full fair legal review process that is afforded to all athletes before any sanctions are imposed.

However, because Jones was scheduled to compete against Daniel Cormier this coming Saturday, July 9 in Las Vegas, there is insufficient time for a full review before the scheduled bout and therefore the fight has been removed from the fight card. As a result, the three-round heavyweight bout between Brock Lesnar and Mark Hunt will become the UFC 200 main event.

Consistent with all previous potential anti-doping violations, additional information or UFC statements will be provided at the appropriate time as the process moves forward.

Ticket refunds available upon request at primary point of purchase.

Brock Lesnar and Mark Hunt will be the main event of the PPV.

Payout Perspective:

It’s a huge kick in the stomach to the UFC that Jones is the center of controversy once again.  It comes on the biggest stage and on the biggest card for the UFC.  While we cannot conclude Jones is culpable for this drug test as there may be factors which may show no wrongdoing and he is entitled to due process per the terms of the policy, it is another sign that Jones is not clear of his demons.  He appeared past his problems and the UFC Embedded series showed a guy that seemed happy and ready to focus on his career.  It appears that this is not the case.

Not only is Jones out of UFC 200, there is now a possibility that he may have violated the terms of his probation.  The terms in which the state can withdraw its plea agreement is below.  While I don’t think he violated the terms, it is another trouble for a fighter that could have been the best ever in the sport.

As for the card, it’s clear that the UFC is fortunate that Brock Lesnar is on it.  PPV, which has been boosted to $70 for HD, may take a small hit but where we may see the problem is with the gate for the T-Mobile Arena.  It will be interesting to see how many people request a refund.  The card is still packed but a Jones-Cormier feud is going to be put on hold yet again.