On Wednesday, Dana White broke the news that shocked media room informing Jon Jones of potential Anti-doping Policy violation which definitely results to cancellation of his rematch against Daniel Cormier in the upcoming UFC 200.
As replacement, White announced that the heavyweight fight between Brock Lesnar and Mark Hunt will be the headliner for the event. After which, he introduced Jeff Novitzky who delivered the breaking news.
In his statement, he explains that there is a full fair legal review process under the UFC Anti-doping Policy afforded by all athletes before imposing any sanctions. However, due to insufficient time to conduct review before the fight scheduled on Saturday July 9, Cormier – Jones rematch has been removed from the fight card.
On the other hand, Jones opponent Daniel Cormier made a media appearance and shared the other side of the story. During the interview, he thanked White for the continuous support after realizing that he already missed the biggest fight as well as the biggest payday of his career.
During the press conference, White revealed Joe Silva was receiving messages from other fighters encouraging him to step into the octagon and fight Cormier. However, the negotiation didn’t went well since there’s no enough time for UFC to switch gears and find suitable opponent at less than 1-week notice.
Being placed in the hot water yet still recognized as the most talented mix martial artist of his legacy, Jon Jones denied the allegations about the positive drug test conducted by USADA. In the hastily news conference held last Thursday, the interim light heavyweight champion was seen repeatedly crying after it was announced that the rematch with Cormier has been canceled.
According to Jones, he’s not taking anything that will enhance his game. “Being labeled as someone who would ever cheat, it hurts me more than anything I’ve ever been through in my career,” he added. On the other hand, Malki Kawa can’t help but commented on the accusation against his Athlete. Although the substance that flagged Jones hasn’t revealed, it might be related to nutritional supplement according to the manager.
“For the last year, he’s done nothing but try his best to live his life right, to eat right and to do things right and not to be obviously in this type of predicament. He didn’t cheat at all” Kawa added.
In case Jones positive test is confirmed, he will face a multiyear suspension with possibility of 4 years for aggravating circumstances.
See Also: Who Are the Big Names to Highlight UFC 200?
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