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Jon Jones, what have you done? When I first heard that the UFC light-heavyweight champ had failed a urine test, I admit I was shocked. But this soon gave way to frustration and anger.
But he and his manager remained adamant there was a mistake.
So we waited, with hope, to find out the result of the ‘B’ sample. But, now the results are back: another positive test. He has been officially stripped of his title, his bout with Daniel Cormier has been ruled a no-contest, and he awaits the judgement of USADA.
It should be acknowledged that Jon Jones has always denied knowingly taking any banned substances. And he intends to begin the appeal process soon.
But for MMA, it is a scene perhaps all too familiar, but a tragedy nevertheless.
Jon Jones is a man who could have been the GOAT: the greatest MMA fighter of all time. Forget Fedor Emelianenko, forget Anderson Silva. Jon Jones had the ability to be the best fighter MMA has ever seen.
But now it seems he has thrown it all away.
The drug Jones apparently tested positive for is turinabol, an illegal, orally-administered anabolic androgenic steroid.
Apparently, it is an old-fashioned steroid, famously adopted by the East German Olympic team in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. According to former UFC and PEDs star Chael Sonnen, it is usually taken as part of a “stack” with other substances.
Being expensive and illegal, pharmacological writer Iain Kidd claims that is very unlikely that turinabol would be present in any tainted supplements, which was a possible excuse for its presence in Jones’ system.
To have his reputation sullied like this is such a shame. And for what? Jon Jones has never lost a fight. He is one of the most impressive athletes to ever grace the UFC.
Even his greatest opponent, Cormier, noted that it was unnecessary, publicly claiming: “He really didn’t need to do any of that stuff [PEDs]. And [if] he really did do it for as long as I’ve been saying he was doing it, it really just became a comfort thing.”
Steroids or not, Jon Jones is a freak. He infamously once stated that he used to get blackout drunk the week before a fight; after his first fight again Cormier, he bragged about doing cocaine the weekend before the fight.
He has no reason to be taking turinabol or any other PED.
One other reaction to this saga certain people are having deserves note: if there was ever a sport in which drugs should be forgiven, it is MMA.
Steroids and testosterone have been a huge part of its history, and are still used in other promotions such as Rizin, in Japan. If we threw away every person who had tested positive, we wouldn’t have many left.
Time has passed and the sport needs to move with it. The days of Mark Kerr-type monsters are gone, and in their place is modern professional athletes who need to live up to certain expectations.
So what’s the upshot for Jon Jones? Well, he loses his money, his title, his job; he even loses his huge fight with Brock Lesnar.
But more important than any of these, he loses his legacy. He could have gone down as the most freakishly skilled fighter we have ever seen, but instead – rightly or wrongly – his name will be forever tarnished.
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