"Whataboutisms" are a logical fallacy.
Failed drug tests
UFC 182
On January 6, 2015, it was announced that Jones failed a drug test prior to
UFC 182. He tested positive for
benzoylecgonine, the primary metabolite of
cocaine.
[140] Because benzoylecgonine is not banned out-of-competition by the
World Anti-Doping Agency, the NSAC could not halt Jones from participating during UFC 182. He was randomly tested on December 3, 2014, and results came back on December 23, 2014. A week after his first test, Jones was tested again. He passed the second test, which meant that the cocaine metabolite was out of his system before the fight. When the news was made public, Jones went into rehab for one night.
[140][226][227] He was fined $25,000 on January 17 for violating the UFC's Athlete Code of Conduct policy.
[228] On January 19, 2015, Jones was interviewed for the first time since the failed drug test and said: "...I'm not a cocaine addict by any means or not even a frequent user. I just made a really dumb decision and got caught with my pants down in this whole situation."
[229]
Prior to his UFC 182 bout with Cormier, Jones's
testosterone/
epitestosterone (T/E) ratio was considered by some experts to be alarmingly low.
Victor Conte, a former steroid distributor, who founded and led the
Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO), said of Jones's test "these (levels) are highly suspicious for Jon Jones, in my opinion. This is the reason that sophisticated anti-doping officials do target testing. So based on what we see here, my opinion is Jon Jones should be on a very short leash and should be random tested here until they sort out why he has these anomalies."
[230] This resulted in several journalists imploring the NSAC to utilize CIR (Carbon Isotope Ratio) testing on Jones's samples. "Luckily, this is a situation where speculation could quickly be ended. Jon Jones' drug test samples still exist and a simple Carbon Isotope Ratio test could be conducted to find the result. Put simply, a CIR test would be able to determine if the testosterone in Jones' system was synthetic or natural," Brent Brookhouse of Bloody Elbow wrote.
[231] However, according to NSAC executive director Bob Bennett, Jones' test samples had already undergone CIR testing by the same WADA-accredited lab which had reported his T/E ratios, noting that all CIR results came back clean.
[232] Additionally, he said there were three different types of tests done during each of the random tests: urine, blood testing for human growth hormone and a blood passport test. "The only negative was testing positive for cocaine metabolites," Bennett said.
UFC 200
On July 8, 2016, a urine sample from Jones tested positive for two banned substances,
clomiphene, an anti-estrogen substance, and
letrozole, an aromatase inhibitor, prior to his scheduled championship bout with Cormier at
UFC 200. The violation was from an "A" sample collection on June 16, with subsequent testing of the B sample confirming the doping. Both drugs, which are on the
World Anti-Doping Agency banned substances list, are described as "hormone and metabolic modulators", which are not allowed to be used in or out of competition.
[234][235] As a result, Jones had to withdraw from the event, and was replaced by former middleweight champion
Anderson Silva.
[236] Throughout the ordeal, Jones maintained his innocence, claiming that he was the victim of a contaminated product that he believed to be Cialis, which was later independently obtained, tested and found to be contaminated by the United States Anti-Doping Agency.
[237] On November 7, 2016, it was announced that Jones was issued a 1-year suspension by USADA following his arbitration hearing, though the panel concluded that Jones did not take the banned substances intentionally, and was not a drug cheat.
[238]
UFC 214
On August 22, 2017, it was announced that Jones was flagged for a potential doping violation by USADA, stemming from his test sample that was collected on July 28, one day before his rematch against Cormier at
UFC 214. He tested positive for
Turinabol, an
anabolic steroid, and was placed on a provisional suspension as a result of the positive drug test.
[29] On September 13, the CSAC announced that it had overturned the result of the fight with Cormier from a KO victory for Jones to a no-contest, after both Jones's A and B samples tested positive for Turinabol. Jones was also stripped of the title for a third time, and it was then returned to Cormier.
[239]
Jones stated that he did not knowingly take any prohibited substances,
[240] with his team believing Jones consumed tainted substances. Jones potentially faced up to a 4-year suspension if found guilty,
[241] but on September 18 he was handed a 15-month suspension by USADA, retroactive to July 28,
[242] plus three months community service.
[243] 30 months were deducted from the 4-year suspension because Jones provided "substantial assistance" to USADA. "Substantial assistance" refers to an athlete informing an anti-doping agency about a doping violation by another athlete.
[244] USADA said it reduced the suspension by a further three months after a hearing with an independent arbitrator, Richard McLaren, on September 15.
[242] Travis Tygart, CEO of USADA, said in a statement: "The independent arbitrator found that Jon Jones was not intentionally cheating in this case, and while we thought 18-months was the appropriate sanction given the other circumstances of the case, we respect the arbitrator's decision and believe that justice was served. This case is another strong reminder that athletes need to be extremely cautious about the products and supplements they use to ensure they are free of prohibited substances."
[245]
UFC 232
Jones became eligible to fight again on October 28, 2018,
[246] and was scheduled to perform at
UFC 232 in Las Vegas on December 29. However, after further inconsistencies arose with his drug test on December 23, he was not granted a license to compete in Nevada, so the event was moved to Los Angeles.
[247] In order to receive a license from CSAC, Jones had to enroll into the VADA (Voluntary Anti-Doping Association) testing program, thus making him the first UFC fighter to be signed to both USADA and VADA testing programs simultaneously.
[248] Drug tests administered at UFC 232 found an ultra trace amount of turinabol, which doctors attributed to a long-term "pulsing effect" of the M3 metabolite detected in 2017. CSAC did not take disciplinary action against Jones as the medical experts stated that there was no evidence that Jones had re-administered a banned substance and no performance-enhancing benefits were gained.
[249]