Jon Jones banned for year after anti-doping hearing
By Andy Charles
Last Updated: 07/11/16 9:25pm
Interim UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has been banned for a year after an anti-doping hearing.
Jones tested positive shortly before UFC 200 in July after taking a tainted sexual-performance pill and, although the panel agreed he had not knowingly taken a banned substance, he was handed the full penalty.
The 29-year-old will not be eligible to fight again until July 2017 with the ban having been applied retroactively.
"On the evidence before the panel, the applicant is not a drug cheat," the panel's resolution read.
"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 (the pill) he has not only lost a year of his career but an estimated $9m (£7.25m).
"This outcome which he admits to be a wake-up call for him should serve as a warning to all others who participate in the same sport."
A statement from the UFC read: "UFC is aware of the one-year sanction levied against Jon Jones as a result of his UFC Anti-Doping Policy violation, decided by a three-person arbitration panel held on October 31.
"While the decision indicates no evidence of Jones' intentional use of banned substances, 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."
