UFC Star, Jon Jones, receives one year ban after anti-doping violation

UFC star, Jon Jones, has today received a one year sanction following an anti-doping violation.

Jones tested positive for the presence of two prohibited substances, clomiphene and letrozole (contained in Tadalfil), following an out-of-competition test in June 2016. Both substances fall under the category of 'specified' and are prohibited at all times, under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy.

Anti-doping violation punishments, in the UFC, can range from a warning to the standard one-year period of ineligibility, depending on the degree of fault.

The 3 man panel considered that Jones's fault fell at the top end of the scale. Jones was out for dinner with a UFC teammate and during the dinner, the teammate had been talking about a product he was using called Cialis (not banned). Jones understood Cialis to be like Viagara and asked the teammate for one. In coming into possession of the tablet and subsequently taking it, he made no enquiry whatsoever about the tablet or substances within it or whether they were prohibited under the WADA code. Instead, he relied upon a teammate to tell him what the tablet was and that it could enhance sexual pleasure.

In fact, the tablet was not Cialis and was instead a Tadalafil tablet. The degree of fault, thus, was considered by the panel to be on the verge of reckless. As a UFC athlete, the regulations which govern Jones's conduct place the responsibility of what enters his system on him. Given that, a 12 month sanction was deemed to be appropriate.

In pleading his case, Jones sought to rely on two previous anti-doping cases involving UFC athletes, Romero and Means, but those arguments were dismissed by the panel. Those cases involved instances of 'classic contaminated' dietary supplement products which had labels that did not disclose the prohibited substances which each contained. In those cases, the sanction deemed appropriate was six months.

Jones has been serving a provisional suspension since 06 July 2016 and therefore, his ineligibility will be 8 months from November 06 2016. (12 months less the period of provisional suspension).

To read the decision in full, click here.