It is going to be a while before we see Jon Jones in action in the UFC as he was suspended one year by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). The ban which is retroactive to July was announced on Monday. Jones was suspended for failing an out-of-competition drug test on June 16 as he tested positive for banned substances clomiphene and letrozole. While Jones won’t see action in the UFC until next July at the earliest, he could be in action against Dan Henderson in a grappling match with Submission Underground next month.
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Jones was not entirely disappointed by his suspension as he was originally facing a two-year ban. "Although I was hopeful for a better outcome in the USADA ruling today I am very respectful of the process in which they allowed me to defend myself," Jones said, "I have always maintained my innocence and I am very happy I have been cleared in any wrongdoing pursuant to the allegations made that I had intentionally taken a banned substance. I am pleased that in USADA's investigation they determined I was 'not a cheater of the sport.'”
The UFC released a statement on the suspension as they wanted to put a positive spin on it. "While the decision indicates no evidence of Jones' intentional use of banned substances," the statement said, "it does highlight the care and diligence that is required by athletes competing in the UFC to ensure that no prohibited substances enter their system."
Jones said that the pill he thought he was taking was Cialis which is not listed as a banned substance. The pill he ended up getting from teammate Eric Blasich was another form of tadalafil that Blasich had gotten from AllAmericanPeptide.com. The USADA tested tadalafil from AllAmericanPetptide.com and found it had banned substances in it which led to the positive test for Jones.
The arbitration panel that reached the decision on Jones’ suspension said that Jones was at fault for not knowing what he was taking. They called Jones’ actions "reckless." The good news for Jones is that the panel did not find that Jones was cheating. "On the evidence before the Panel, [Jones] is not a drug cheat," the panel said. "He did not know that the tablet he took contained prohibited substances or that those substances had the capacity to enhance sporting performance. However, by his imprudent use of what he pungently referred to as a 'd--- pill,' he has not only lost a year of his career but an estimated nine million dollars."
Jones vs. Henderson at Submission Underground II
Jones won’t be fighting in the UFC until late next year at the earliest but he is expected to fight in Submission Underground against Dan Henderson next month. Chael Sonnen, who is the founder of Submission Underground said that the headliner of the organization’s second event is expected to be Jones vs. Henderson at the Roseland Theatre in Portland, Oregon on December 11.
Sonnen said that the Jones suspension shouldn’t affect the matchup.
"I don't think that affects it," said Sonnen, "... Grappling never has in the past, but the commission, if they ask for something, particularly if you're making a deal, you want to do it their way. So I imagine there could be some red tape there. I don't have a concern about it."
Jones and Henderson were supposed to fight at UFC 151 but Henderson pulled out of that event. Now the two fighters will match up against each other in Portland in a grappling match. "The deal was pretty easy. Jon had come to the table pretty quick, and Jon suggested it," Sonnen said. "He said, ‘why don't we do Dan Henderson?' We were in talks with Nick Diaz, Michael Bisping wanted the match, and we kind of took Jon's advice. We thought, well, you know what, that does make some sense. That's the match that never happened, and we might be the only promotion to ever get these two guys together. So there it is."
Submission Underground II is expected to have a six-fight main card that will also include Miesha Tate taking on Jessica Eye.
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