Two days after Jon Jones was handed a one-year suspension by the United States Anti-Doping Agency for a failed drug test, the UFC handed down its own punishment.
UFC president Dana White announced Wednesday morning on ESPN’s 5ive Rounds podcast that Jones has been stripped of his interim light-heavyweight title and White didn’t mince words.
“Jon Jones has blown it in every way, shape and form a guy with that much talent can blow it,” White said. “Greatest talent ever and the biggest screw-up ever.”
This marks the second time in the last two years that Jones has been stripped of a UFC title. The 29-year-old had a tumultuous 2015, testing positive for cocaine metabolites that January before being suspended, stripped of his title and removed from the UFC’s official fighter rankings in April following his involvement in a hit-and-run accident in Albuquerque.
Jones returned to competition in April 2016 at UFC 197 defeating Ovince Saint Preux by unanimous decision to win the interim title — he was originally scheduled to fight current champ Daniel Cormier, but Cormier withdrew due to injury. Cormier beat Anthony Johnson back at UFC 187 to win the vacant title.
“It doesn’t make sense,” White told. “He was the interim champion because he should have been fighting for the title. We gave him this, ‘You were supposed to fight for the title. Here it is.’ It doesn’t make sense with all the stuff that is going on for him to still be the interim champion.”
Jones has taken this latest setback in stride, even poking fun at himself by changing his Twitter avatar.
His suspension was retroactive to his failed test, which means he would be eligible to return to competition as early as July 6, 2017.
In the meantime, Cormier is set to defend his title in an anticipated rematch with Johnson in the main event of UFC 206 on Dec. 10 in Toronto.
