In an unprecedented move, this Saturday’s UFC 232 pay-per-view will move from Las Vegas, NV, to Los Angeles, CA, due to a Jon Jones test abnormality.
The news was first reported by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto.
From Okamoto: “Jon Jones tested for a trace amount of the same metabolite that was found in his system in 2017. USADA has ruled the test was caused by a residual amount of the substance from 2017 and will not sanction Jones, but Nevada didn’t feel it could license him. California will.”
In an interview with Yahoo’s Kevin Iole, USADA head and UFC VP Jeff Novitzy said that a trace of oral turinabol “the size of one-50 millionth of a grain of sand was found in an anti-doping sample given by Jon Jones to USADA on Dec. 9” and that independent experts concluded it was not a re-ingestion that caused it but a trace from his previous 2017 positive test.
On SportsCenter, UFC president Dana White and Novitzy discussed the news and reiterated this wasn’t a positive test.
Jones tested positive for Turinabol after his July 2017 victory over Daniel Cormier to reclaim the UFC light heavyweight title. He was retroactively suspended for 15 months and cleared to fight earlier this fall. The Nevada Athletic Commission released a statement saying Jones had withdrew his pending license application and that Jones will appear at a January hearing to discuss the matter.
From Iole: “Nevada officials aren’t as familiar with the 2017 case and because four of its five commissioners are out of town for the holidays, it agreed to allow Jones to go to California to fight and then appear at a January hearing in Nevada.”
The event will take place at the Forum in Los Angeles with tickets going on sale Wednesday. Refunds for those with Las Vegas tickets will be made available.
According to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, most fighters found out about the news via social media and not direct contact with the UFC.
Despite the positive test, Jones will face Alexander Gustafsson for the vacant light heavyweight title in Saturday’s main event.
When Daniel Bryan announced his emotional return to the ring, it was fairly inconceivable that he’d end up being a vicious and pompous environmentalist heel just eight months later. But the character change has revitalized Bryan and taken him to the highest points since the immediate aftermath of announcing his comeback. With Bryan completely buying into the change, “the new Daniel Bryan” has been far better in execution than it would have sounded on paper.
A look at New Japan going into the Tokyo Dome, notes on lots of new television deals and a story on the life of Larry Hennig heads up this week’s issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Our lead story is a preview of the Wrestle Kingdom 13 show, with the lineup, storylines, tag team tournament rundown, this weekend’s shows and full coverage of the tag team tournament finals with match-by-match coverage, star ratings and poll results.
Look at the glory days of the AWA with a story on the life of Larry Hennig. Start with his legit sports background, why he never wrestled or played football in college, how he got started in pro wrestling, and his rise to fame as a heel in the AWA.
Look at one of the 60s most successful tag teams, Harley Race & Larry Hennig, and their feud with Dick the Bruiser & The Crusher. Also look at the rest of Hennig’s career all over the world.
Also look at the future of Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt, George Bush’s connection to pro wrestling, WWE week on USA, WWE rules for what U.K. talent can do, injury and illness updates, John Cena talks on future, notes on and WWE tryouts.
Also look at ONE attempting to become a significant player on the U.S. scene with its deal with TNT, its big signings, but also a look at the company’s real economic numbers.
ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to Dave Meltzer, or by using PayPal directing funds to [email protected].
Rates in the United States are $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52. In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to [email protected]. For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52. If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.)
If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can choose one free classic issue or two free classic issues with a 40-issue subscription.
TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE
WWE
Next week’s Christmas day edition of SmackDown is being taped at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California after tonight’s episode.
Today is Steve Austin’s 54th birthday, Trish Stratus’ 43rd birthday, and RVD’s 48th birthday.
Dixie Carter congratulated EC3 on being called up to the main roster: “So proud of you E! Congrats to @wwe too… Can’t wait to watch you hold those major titles in the air. Love you, Aunt D #toponepercent #wwe #raw #smackdown”
Today’s Hidden Gem is a Christmas night 1983 match from Mid-South Pro Wrestling, with then tag team champions Butch Reed and Jim Neidhart defending the titles against Magnum TA and Mr. Wrestling II.
WWE Network News reported that tomorrow’s Hidden Gems addition will be an AWA Christmas night event from 1983 featuring a Nick Bockwinkel vs. Mad Dog Vachon AWA title match. Just over an hour of the show will be uploaded.
After it was set up at their TV tapings over the weekend, ROH announced that Jay Lethal will defend his ROH World Championship against Dalton Castle at Honor Reigns Supreme in Concord, North Carolina on January 13.
Jon Jones’ coach Brandon Gibson feels that the constant layoffs that Jon Jones had had due to various problems actually benefits him in terms of competition. “He’s not getting concussions,” he told Luke Thomas. “He’s taking care of his body and his mind, and this is such a — at this top one percent, these guys are tough. That’s not an aspect that comes with sparring or anything like that. The time off where we’re not having impact, where his body’s not getting beaten up and broken down, where we’re just continuing to evolve the skill and the technique and the strategy and develop Jon that much more as a martial artist is key. And you said he’s 31, he has a long fight career ahead of him still, and he really feels like this time off has prolonged his career that much more.
Conor McGregor says he’s “launching rockets in 19’”.
A featherweight match between Jeremy Stephens and Zabit Magomedsharipov has been confirmed for UFC 235.
Marina Rodriguez has pulled out of a scheduled February 2nd strawweight fight in Brazil against Alexa Grasso due to what is being reported as a hand injury. It isn’t known if she will be replaced or if the match will be scrapped.
JacksonWink and American Top Team’s Instagram accounts have been taken down due to UFC content.
Former UFC fighter Chris Leben was on the Comedy Suplex Podcart episode 78 promoting his upcoming appearance for FIST Combat, this Thursday, December 20, at “Jolt’n Joes” in La Mesa, CA.
In an interview with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier intimated that his planned fight with former UFC heavyweight champion and WWE star Brock Lesnar might not happen after all.
Cormier has been very vocal about his plans to retire in 2019 before he turns 40. Cormier mentioned that he still plans on fighting just two more times with his short notice heavyweight title defense against Derrick Lewis coming up in November counting one of them.
If he retains his title on November 3rd at Madison Square Garden, Cormier said he’ll have his choice of Lesnar or the winner of the Jon Jones-Alexander Gustafsson rematch that will close out UFC’s 2018. The Jones-Gustafsson fight will be for the soon-to-be stripped light heavyweight title that Cormier currently holds.
Cormier said that the Jones fight would matter to him more because Jones has beaten him twice and continues to be a rival for him. However, he feels the Lesnar fight would be better for him financially.
“I think I would always pick the one that means more, but my wife might have something to say about that,” he told Okamoto.
If Gustafsson wins, that opens up the possibility of a rematch of a fight that was one of the best of 2015. However, given what Cormier has said, that seems unlikely.
Cormier told Lange Pugmire of the LA Times that UFC more than doubled what he made for beating Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight title in July, making the decision a lot easier for him to take the fight. He declined to fight Miocic on short notice and preferred Lewis because he feels there’s only one way for Lewis to win: via knockout.
Jon Jones’ return to the Octagon appears to be officially set.
ESPN’s Ariel Helwani reported this afternoon that Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson is a “done deal” for UFC 232 in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 29. It will be for the UFC light heavyweight championship, with Daniel Cormier being stripped of the title as soon as the fight starts.
It was reported at the end of September that the UFC was trying to make Jones vs. Gustafsson for UFC 232, and Cormier had said he expected to be stripped of the light heavyweight title. Cormier will defend his heavyweight championship against Derrick Lewis in the main event of UFC 230 at Madison Square Garden on November 3.
This will be the second time Jones and Gustafsson have faced each other in their careers. In what’s considered to be one of the best fights in UFC history, Jones defeated Gustafsson by unanimous decision in September 2013.
Last month, USADA announced that Jones would be eligible to return on October 28 of this year. Jones received a 15-month suspension that’s retroactive to when he tested positive for Turinabol on July 28, 2017. That test was taken the day before his fight against Cormier at UFC 214.
Jones vs. Gustafsson joins a UFC 232 card that also features Cris Cyborg defending her women’s featherweight title against women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes.
We’re doing polls this weekend on the WWE Super Show-down from Melbourne, UFC 229 from Las Vegas and New Japan King of Pro Wrestling. You can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]. We’re looking for reports on tonight’s NXT show in Citrus Springs, FL to [email protected].
NEW JAPAN WORLD PRO WRESTLING AT 8 P.M. EASTERN TONIGHT ON AXS TV
Jushin Liger & Ryusuke Taguchi & ACH vs. Rocky Romero & Sho & Yoh
Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian vs. Hangman Page & Chase Owens
Hirooki Goto & Baretta & Chuckie T vs. Jeff Cobb & Chris Sabin & Flip Gordon
Tetsuya Naito & Evil & Seiya Sanada vs. Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Zack Sabre Jr.
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kushida vs. Jay White & Gedo
Will Ospreay vs. Marty Scurll in semifinals of IWGP Jr. title tournament
Young Bucks vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa for IWGP tag titles
Juice Robinson vs. Cody for U.S. title
Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi vs. Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii
El Hijo del Signo & Robin & Yago vs. Akuma & Camorra & Star Jr.
Avispa Dorada & Jarochita & Marcela vs. Dalys & Metalica & Reyna Isis
Valiente vs. Gran Guerrero
L.A. Park & El Hijo de L.A. Park & Mistico vs. Cavernario & Ciber the Main Man & The Chris
World Grand Prix Elimination match: Dark Magic, David Finlay, Flip Gordon, Gilbert El Boricua, Jay Briscoe, Mark Briscoe, Matt Taven, Michael Elgin, Okumura, Caristico, Cuatrero, Diamante Azul, Euforia, Hechicero, Sanson, El Terrible, Ultimo Guerrero and Volador Jr.
QUINTET FROM THE ORLEANS ARENA IN LAS VEGAS AT 10 P.M. EASTERN TONIGHT ON FIGHT PASS
Submission grappling with four teams including Frank Mir vs. Satoshi Ishii and Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Urijah Faber
We’re looking for reports Saturday from the NXT show in St. Petersburg, FL to [email protected].
WWE SUPER SHOW-DOWN FROM MELBOURNE CRICKET GROUNDS AT 5 A.M. EASTERN SATURDAY MORNING ON WWE NETWORK
Undertaker vs. HHH
A.J. Styles vs. Samoa Joe for WWE title
Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre & Dolph Ziggler & Braun Strowman
Ronda Rousey & Bella Twins vs. Ruby Riott & Sarah Logan & Liv Morgan
Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz – Winner gets WWE title shot
John Cena & Bobby Lashley vs. Elias & Kevin Owens
Cedric Alexander vs. Buddy Murphy for cruiserweight title
New Day vs. Sheamus & Cesaro for Smackdown tag titles
Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair for Smackdown women’s title
Naomi & Asuka vs. Billie Kay & Peyton Royce
UFC 229 ON SATURDAY FROM THE T MOBILE ARENA IN LAS VEGAS
Fight Pass at 6:30 p.m. Eastern
Ryan LaFlare vs. Tony Martin
Gray Maynard vs. Nik Lentz
Yana Kunitskaya vs. Lina Lansberg
Prelims on FS1 at 8 p.m. Eastern
Alan Patrick vs. Scott Holtzman
Tonya Evinger vs. Aspen Ladd
Jalin Turner vs. Vicente Luque
Sergio Pettis vs. Jussier Formiga
PPV at 10 p.m. Eastern
Michelle Waterson vs. Felice Herrig
Alexander Volkov vs. Derrick Lewis
Ovince Saint Preux vs. Dominic Reyes
Anthony Pettis vs. Tony Ferguson
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor for lightweight title
NEW JAPAN KING OF PRO WRESTLING AT 4 A.M. EASTERN MONDAY MORNING ON NEW JAPAN WORLD
Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Desperado vs. Tiger Mask & Jushin Liger for IWGP jr. tag titles
Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Juice Robinson & Toa Henare
Young Bucks & Hangman Page & Chase Owens vs. Bad Luck Fale & Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa & Taiji Ishimori
Tomohiro Ishii & Hirooki Goto & Will Ospreay vs. Minoru Suzuki & Taichi & Takashi Iizuka
Kazuchika Okada & Toru Yano & Sho & Yoh vs. Tetsuya Naito & Seiya Sanada & Bushi & ?
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Evil
Kushida vs Marty Scurll for IWGP jr. title
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jay White for Tokyo Dome IWGP title shot
Kenny Omega vs. Kota Ibushi vs. Cody for IWGP heavyweight title
Raw will be Monday in Chicago. There will also be a Smackdown house show Monday night in Louisville.
Smackdown, 205 Live and Mixed Match Challenge are taped Tuesday in Indianapolis. Announced for Mixed Match Challenge are A.J. Styles & Charlotte Flair vs. R-Truth & Carmella and Braun Strowman & Ember Moon vs. Finn Balor & Bayley.
What should have been a fairly innocuous six-woman tag match on last Monday’s Raw ended with Liv Morgan having suffered a concussion and with a social media controversy that has yet to fully die down. The Riott Squad faced The Bellas & Natalya on last week’s Raw as part of the build to Ruby Riott, Morgan & Sarah Logan vs. Ronda Rousey & The Bellas at Super Show-Down in Melbourne, Australia.
Headed up with a major history piece on the 30-year history of Ted Turner’s involvement with pro wrestling and coverage of a week of so many major events, it’s a double issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter this week.
Preview UFC 229 and why it is expected to be the biggest non-boxing PPV in history. Look at projections, some real numbers, some comparisons, and why Dana White says it wasn’t in Madison Square Garden.
The big story looks at Ted Turner and how he first got connected to pro wrestling in 1972, the role of Ray & Ann Gunkel, the wrestling war in Georgia that led to the two hour Saturday night block, the roles of Jim Barnett and Ole Anderson, and the first-ever Omni sellout.
Also look at the decision made by UFC and USADA to no longer announce drug test failures and why it wasn’t well thought out, as well as the reputation of USADA taking such a hit and the sad ironies of this.
Look at WWE Super Show-Down, ticket sales and ramifications.
Read the update on the 1,000th episode of Smackdown, WWE plans for NXT and ideas that have been talked about, major execs selling WWE stock.
Look at the big questions facing Bellator as they try and build their brand, as well as surprising notes of the Bellator brand vs U.S. pro wrestling companies and Saturday’s show in particular.
This issue has full coverage of ROH’s Death Before Dishonor with match-by-match coverage, business notes, polls and star ratings for the show.
ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to Dave Meltzer, or by using PayPal directing funds to [email protected].
Rates in the United States are $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52. In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to [email protected]. For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52. If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.)
If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can choose one free classic issue or two free classic issues with a 40-issue subscription.
FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE
WWE
Super Show-Down airs live on the WWE Network at 5 a.m. Eastern time tomorrow morning. It’s listed as running from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Liv Morgan spoke to The Mirror about being cleared for Super Show-Down: “”I’m 100% cleared by the WWE doctors. They took great care of me. They have a very extensive concussion protocol, which we followed 100% and luckily I am feeling fantastic and we are ready to win.”
Elias spoke to Complex about the background of his character. When talking about various people, he had this to say about Triple H: “There’s a fear that I sense about him, and a reluctance to accept me…I don’t want to say he’s doing his best to keep his thumb on me, but while it feels like a lot of people want the best for me, it doesn’t feel like Triple H does.”
WWE announced yesterday that Vickie Guerrero and former developmental talents Theo Agbi and Josh Woods are recipients of this year’s WWE talent scholarships.
A new episode of Ride Along will air on the WWE Network after Monday’s Raw. It will feature Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair “before their falling out” and Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville.
Travel packages for the 2019 Royal Rumble will be available starting on Wednesday, October 10 on the Royal Rumble travel website. Individual tickets will start on October 12.
WWE added their previous Australian stadium show, Global Warming, to the WWE Network today. The show, which took place on August 10, 2002 featured a main event pitting The Rock against Triple H and Brock Lesnar for the WWE Undisputed title.
Jeff Cobb vs. Eli Isom and Flip Gordon & Kenny King vs. The Kingdom (Vinny Marseglia & TK O’Ryan) have been added to ROH Glory by Honor night one in Baltimore on October 12.
Big Cass, now going as Big C, made his first indie appearance at a Championship Wrestling League event in Michigan and said that his no-compete had expired. He then turned heel, saying people didn’t deserve to know what happened that led to his release.
UFC/MMA
Jon Jones spoke to Ariel Helwani on his impending return to the UFC and the controversy surrounding it. He refutes being a “snitch”, saying he didn’t give any information on anyone. “USADA asked me to do a lot of things throughout this case, but one thing I didn’t do is snitch on anybody in MMA,” he said. “I definitely didn’t give up any information on anyone in the sport, nor do I know of anybody who’s doing these things in the sport. I think the whole snitching thing is pretty silly. It’s interesting to watch people jump to conclusions about things they don’t know what they are talking about. And that’s all I want to say about that topic.”
He also expressed disinterest in fighting Daniel Cormier for a third time. “No, I don’t,” he said when asked. “I already have all the marbles when it comes to Daniel Cormier. I’ve beaten him twice. This game has never been personal. What is personal to me is chasing greatness, not individuals. So in the case of myself and Daniel Cormier, he needs to fight myself one more time if he ever wants to be considered one of the all-time greats. I don’t need to fight him again to be considered one of the all-time greats. I have many more years to prove it.”
Conor McGregor’s disclosed purse for UFC 229 is $3 million and Khabib Nurmagomedov’s is $2 million. The disclosed purses are only a portion of what they’ll make and don’t account for PPV buys.
The UFC uploaded the fourth and fifth episodes of Embedded for Saturday’s PPV, with the fifth episode including footage from yesterday’s press conference for Nurmagomedov vs. McGregor.
Nurmagomedov has posted a third video showing his training camp ahead of tomorrow’s show.
King Mo talked to MMA Junkie about interest in RIZIN and possible future matches in Bellator.
For all Observer readers that are planning to attend UFC 231 on December 8 in Toronto and stay overnight, Grant Zwarych, who sells Observer back issues for us, has arranged a great deal at the Holiday Inn Express at 111 Lombard Street in Toronto. The hotel is a short walk to Scotia Bank Arena, the Distillery District and St Lawrence Market. The rate includes breakfast for 2. The hotel also has one of the lesser expensive parking charges. Rate is available for both Friday & Saturday night.
Readers need to call the hotel directly at 416-367-5555 or can send an email to [email protected] and ask to book under the UFC 231 group block Dec. 7-9, 2018. Please be advised due to high volume of calls to the hotel some unanswered calls will automatically transfer to central reservation and the agent will not have access to the group block.
A room with a King bed is $170.00 (sgl/dbl occupancy, maximum 2 people per room), a room with 2 Queen beds is $175.00 (sgl/dbl occupancy, $10 for each additional person up to maximum 4 people in the room) plus applicable taxes. There is a stricter cancellation policy due to the great rate being offered. Readers must book by November 7 and cannot cancel after November 8 without a one night room & tax cancellation policy. If you have your tickets and know you are definitely going, this is a fantastic deal.
According to a Thursday report by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, the UFC is looking to sign Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson II for Saturday, December 29th at UFC 232 in Las Vegas.
Okamoto corresponded with Dana White via text and the UFC president said the fight is far from a done deal, but they want it to close out 2018. If signed, it would headline a show that already features women’s featherweight champion Cris “Cyborg” Justino vs. women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes in a champion vs. champion fight.
The two first clashed in September 2013 when then-light heavyweight champion Jones defeated Gustafsson via unanimous decision in one of the best fights in company history.
What is interesting is how this fight ties in with the Madison Square Garden November 3rd show which still doesn’t have a main event. Here’s the breakdown via ESPN’s Ariel Helwani:
– UFC wanted Gustafsson vs. Yoel Romero to fight for the light heavyweight title currently held by Daniel Cormier. They would have had to strip Cormier of that title, but the idea was to sign Cormier-Jones III for the year end show instead, except for Cormier’s heavyweight title. This would help avoid an interim title being created.
– However, both Jones and Cormier wanted the fight at light heavyweight instead and the date didn’t work for Cormier anyway.
– From there, they moved to Jones-Gustafsson as the plan for the year end show and the Romero fight idea was dropped.
UFC president Dana White appeared on ESPN Morning show ‘Get Up’ Thursday and reiterated that former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is likely to return to action in early-2019.
This would dispell the notion that Jones will headline the promotion’s early-November event at Madison Square Garden that still doesn’t have a main event.
On Wednesday, Jones was given a 15-month suspension from his July 2017 failed USADA test prior to UFC 214, retroactive to the failed test date. That would clear him to return to action as early as October 28.
White, in town for Thursday’s Conor McGregor-Khabib Nurmagomedov press conference, said, “He’s been off for a while. I think he’s a little heavy right now and he needs to start cutting weight and getting back into shape. We should see him early next year.”
White added that USADA reduced the suspension because their third party investigator believed tainted supplements were involved.
Jones put up a thank you post on Instagram Wednesday night, closing with “But now is the time to shift the focus front and center to the road ahead. Greatness is what I’m chasing and the path to reclaiming my throne is now officially open. Comeback Season begins now.”
Two fighters not amused by this situation are current heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier and now former UFC light heavyweight Tom Lawlor. On UFC Tonight, Cormier didn’t go too deep into the ruling, saying he’s moved past it. However, his frustration with USADA can be heard in this video clip:
The official story is that an arbitration panel from McLaren Global Sports Solutions ruled on 9/13 that Jon Jones’ suspension for testing positive for the steroid Turinabol on July 28, 2017, the day before his fight with Daniel Cormier, would be for 15 months.
That means he is eligible to fight on 10/28, or in time for the 11/3 show in Madison Square Garden, which needs a main event with only seven weeks until show time, although Dana White later said that Jones would not be headlining that show. One would suspect Jones would face Daniel Cormier or Alexander Gustafsson in his first match back, and if at all logistically possible to work such a fight out on such short notice, that MSG would be the place. If not, one would expect a fight likely before the end of the year..
One of the greatest — and most beleaguered — MMA fighters of all-time finally knows when he is cleared to compete again.
On Wednesday night, USADA announced that former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has received a 15-month suspension following a ruling by an independent arbitrator, Richard McLaren of McLaren Global Sport Solutions.
The suspension is retroactive to when Jones tested positive for Turinabol on July 28, 2017, clearing him to return as early as October 28 of this year.
Perhaps a coincidence, but the UFC’s third trip to New York City’s Madison Square Garden is set for Saturday, November 3rd, and is still lacking a main event. For what it’s worth, UFC president Dana White said he looks forward to having Jones return in early 2019.
The 31-year-old was suspended by USADA after that July 2017 in-competition test, taken just a day before Jones defeated Daniel Cormier in a rematch at UFC 214. It was Jones’ second offense with USADA after a July 2016 positive test, coincidentially with an in-competition test prior to a scheduled rematch with Cormier.
In their statement, USADA reduced the potential four year suspension for a second offense by 30 months, citing “substantial assistance” on Jones’ part. The arbitrator then came to their ruling, citing a “reduced degree of fault” and the circumstances of the case which included multiple negative tests leading up to UFC 214.
“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,” said USADA CEO Travis T. Tygart. “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.”
UPDATE: Jones posted on Instagram about today’s announcement: “It’s difficult to express myself at this moment but I can definitely say my heart is filled with gratitude and appreciation. I want to thank all of you who have stood by me during the toughest stretch of my life. It has meant the world to me and always will. But now is the time to shift the focus front and center to the road ahead. Greatness is what I’m chasing and the path to reclaiming my throne is now officially open. Comeback Season begins now”
There were some interesting twists and turns this past week when it came to the build for this year’s WrestleMania.
The Elimination Chamber show went as expected, with Roman Reigns winning the men’s chamber match, Braun Strowman being protected in the match as much as possible, and Alexa Bliss winning the women’s chamber match to retain her Raw championship.
The show itself was average. There was nothing overtly bad, but on paper going in, really only the men’s chamber match looked like it woUld be a strong match. It was good, but not as good as would be expected given the talent. The women’s match told a story, but dragged a lot and the undercard largely felt like filler.
The only real known change in the WrestleMania card is the original Miz vs. Strowman IC title match is out. Strowman’s role isn’t determined because right now he is the fallback position in case something happens with either Reigns or Brock Lesnar.
Jon Jones was given a license revocation and fined $205,000 for his positive drug test for the steroid Turinabol on Tuesday by the California State Athletic Commission.
It was clear from how the proceedings went that California was not looking for a long suspension, leaving that to USADA, which still has to rule on the failure. USADA could suspend Jones up to four years based on it being a second positive test, or six years given extenuating circumstances.
A revocation of the license should mean Jones would be eligible to apply for a license one year from now, although Jones’ attorney, Howard Jacobs, said he thought it meant he could apply in August, which would be one year after the positive test, and he was never corrected nor was the time frame on when he could apply specifically addressed.
The hearing went badly for Jones, who failed the test on July 28th, the day before his light heavyweight title win over Daniel Cormier. The result of that fight was overturned due to the positive drug test, which came back after the fight was over. Cormier was given back the championship.
Jones repeatedly admitted to making bad judgment calls in life, partying too much, and being immature, but steadfastly denied that he would ever use steroids. He said that out of all the UFC champions, nobody is more anti-PED and claimed if he had used steroids, why had he never tested positive for them before now.
Nevertheless, his team, after delaying the hearing until now, could give no explanation how Turinabol wound up in his system. They could not find a contaminated supplement and essentially offered no defense past,”Why would he do it?” and “Why did he pass tests a few weeks earlier?”
Worse, they found numerous incidents of lying on commission forms regarding supplements he was taking, both in the past, and for the second Cormier fight where his team gave evidence of testing 17 supplements, ten of which were not declared on the form.
Jones said they were meticulous in his supplement usage because of his lessons from the past in his 2016 test failure.
Jones also listed no supplements taken in a previous form while admitting that he used them. Worse, he admitted that his management had signed his name for a USADA tutorial on the drug policy and that he had never actually taken the tutorial and his management did it for him.
Ultimately, he was grilled over both his personal life miscues and professional miscues. He was also told that his management has been his enablers in this situation.
Still, Andy Foster, the head of the California commission said that he believed Jones, asking why would he knowingly take a steroid with knowledge that a test was coming the week of the fight.
I asked our two intrepid MMA writers — Paul Fontaine and Ryan Frederick — to jot down some thoughts on 2017 while looking ahead to 2018. With the MMA year kicking off this weekend with UFC in St. Louis, MO, let’s take a gander back at the year that was.
When you think about 2017 in MMA, what comes to mind?
Paul:
I think of ‘What could have been?’ UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor didn’t fight in the Octagon. Jon Jones did what Jon Jones does and blew a potential mega-fight with Brock Lesnar. Ronda Rousey proved she still had drawing power at the end of 2016 with a million plus buy PPV and then proceeded to not fight in 2017. The only currently somewhat active person in UFC who is a big draw is Georges St Pierre and he will be out with an injury for the foreseeable future.
Ryan:
I see this as a year of missed opportunities, both when it comes to the UFC and the fighters. The UFC missed out on Conor McGregor, Ronda Rousey, Nate Diaz, and Brock Lesnar fighting. In the case of Conor, they made the business decision to let him box Floyd Mayweather which made them big money. You can’t fault them for that, but that meant UFC fans missed out on enjoying him in the Octagon.
With the case of Rousey, she appears gone for good. With Diaz, it was simply a matter of money as they tried and failed to get him to fight. With Lesnar, the drug test failure still looms. When it comes to the fighters, weight issues with Khabib Nurmagomedov plagued a fight between him and Tony Ferguson, which had the potential to be great. Demetrious Johnson turned down his biggest payday and the biggest fight of his career with TJ Dillashaw, opting to fight Ray Borg. The middleweight championship was in flux all year, with a lot of good potential title fights being stalled. There were opportunities to have a more action-packed year, but things just couldn’t come to fruition.
Josh:
One word comes to mind: dull. After a completely awesome 2016, the first few months of the year sputtered and every time we thought we were ready to turn a corner, we got more misfires. I think of the bad UFC PPV in Brooklyn where Germaine de Randamie edged out Holly Holm to win a title no one asked for, only to later drop it because she didn’t want to fight Cyborg. I think of a lot of injured champions and good fights that fell through. I think of the word ‘interim’. There were some great moments, but it was a 12 months where more of the fringe fans got shaved off due to boredom.
What was your favorite fight?
Ryan:
I have to go with the non-stop brawl that was Justin Gaethje against Michael Johnson at The Ultimate Fighter Finale in July. Both men landed big punches that likely would have knocked any other opponent out, and yet, they kept coming at each other. Gaethje showed why he was one of the most exciting UFC signings in a long time and one of the most exciting fighters at 155 pounds. Violence was expected, and violence was brought.
Paul:
It wasn’t necessarily the best fight, but my favorite was the Jose Aldo-Max Holloway rematch at December’s UFC 218. Holloway has always been one of my favorite fighters and on that night, he proved that he was the top featherweight in the sport and maybe one of the best of all time with a dismantling of the former dominant champion. Aldo still has it in him to beat just about anyone in the division, as evidenced by his one sided win over Frankie Edgar, but Holloway looked like he was in another league in Detroit.
Josh:
This one is easy: Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson II! Just kidding, everyone. I’m going to go with one that probably isn’t popular due to what happened afterward, but I still loved Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier II. It was the biggest fight of the summer and we got a lot of questions temporarily answered about Jones in his decimation of Cormier. Between the build, the result, and the post fight interviews, Jones appeared to have arrived back on the main attraction stage and we were dreaming about Jones-Gustafsson II and even a Brock Lesnar fight in 2018. Then, USADA checked in and everything went to hell.
What was your favorite event?
Paul:
UFC 217 that featured the return of GSP as he beat Michael Bisping and won the middleweight title. It also featured two other title fights, both with upset title changes, including what may have been the upset of the year with Rose Namajunas stopping Joanna Jedrzejczyk. You can’t ask for much more from a big show.
Ryan:
Honestly, it’s UFC 217, but I wanted to shine a light on the pay-per-view offering that followed it: UFC 218. You had two of the best fights of the year in Yancy Medeiros against Alex Oliveira, and the violence between Eddie Alvarez and Justin Gaethje. You had Max Holloway systematically tearing Jose Aldo apart to declare himself the true king at 145 pounds. Last, but certainly not least, you had the most vicious (and one of the greatest) knockouts of all time when Francis Ngannou earned his shot at championship gold when he took out Alistair Overeem. There were a lot of memorable moments all around.
Josh:
I’m going to stick with UFC 214, headlined by Jones vs. Cormier II. Other than the Woodley-Maia co-main event which wasn’t the most thrilling, this show featured Cyborg Justino winning the women’s featherweight title over Tonya Evinger, the much-anticipated Robbie Lawler-Donald Cerrone fight, and another Volkan Oezdemir first round KO to open the PPV. The prelims were good with some interesting names picking up wins (Brian Ortega, Ricardo Lamas, Aljamain Sterling). There were a few standout candidates (UFC 217, UFC 218, but this was it for me.
Who was your Fighter of the Year?
Josh:
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m going with flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson and perhaps not for a reason that you might think. Yes, he picked up wins over Wilson Reis and Ray Borg, but the way in which he beat Borg was my finish of the year. A German suplex into an armbar for the finish at the end of a fight? Get outta here.
But the big reason was what he did in June by publicly airing his grievances against Dana White and his attempts to make a fight with TJ Dillashaw that he didn’t want. He discussed how White threatened to eliminate the whole division and was open about his contract and other issues. It was refreshing to hear someone clearly bothered by the head of the UFC finally come out and discuss it. He really turned the corner for me after that, helping round out the character for the most dominant champion in the sport right now.
Paul:
I’m going with Francis Ngannou. With two first round KOs over two bonafide MMA legends, he went from obscure prelim fighter to the top heavyweight title contender in just over a year. I give honorable mentions to welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and strawweight champ Rose Namajunas.
Ryan:
It is a tough field as Robert Whittaker, Rose Namajunas, and Tyron Woodley could all earn the nod, but I’m going with Demetrious Johnson for this one. I was cageside for both of his fights this year, and as great as he comes off when viewing on television, he is just another level live. He is the best fighter in the sport, and the way he just outworked both Wilson Reis and Ray Borg on his way to submitting both was world class. Not to mention, he had the most incredible submission of all-time, throwing Borg in the air and locking in an armbar in mid-air. Myself, along with many other media members, lost our minds and were astonished by this cageside. It’s a moment I won’t soon forget.
What was the most disappointing (fighter, trend, event, news story) that happened in 2017?
Paul:
This has to be Jon Jones. He returns from a one year drug failure suspension and beats Daniel Cormier for the title he never lost, promptly fails another PED test, and is now facing a possible four year suspension. Not only did he single handedly destroy the credibility of the light heavyweight title, once the marquee belt in the UFC, he also messed up a potential record-breaking fight in terms of buys with WWE Universal champion Brock Lesnar.
Ryan:
Without question, it is the Jon Jones situation. When he was involved at the press conference for all of the summer fights in May, I was amongst those he talked to backstage. I truly gave him the benefit of the doubt that he was coming back for redemption. He defeated Daniel Cormier, reclaimed gold, and had it all taken away just weeks later in the same situation he has found himself in for the last several years. He could have gone down as the greatest of all-time, but the drug test failures, if they already hadn’t tarnished his legacy, they certainly have now.
Josh:
I’m going a little higher level and say the UFC in general was my most disappointing thing of 2017. We still don’t know what Endeavor (the former WME-IMG) is all about and what they hope to do with the sport. We got two new titles introduced to little to no fanfare. Interim title fights were abound. Head-scratching main events were made. Cards were thin while events were plentiful. Conor McGregor was allowed to box in a strictly financial move. For a group that is supposed to be the stewards of the sport, UFC leadership was often derelict in that duty last year.
What’s your biggest question(s) for the MMA year ahead?
Ryan:
I think, maybe not the biggest question, but one of the most important ones is how the new television deal is going to impact the future. They will announce a new deal this year, but how much they get and for what amount of content, is a big question mark. It is certainly going to have an effect on their business model, whether it’s positive or negative, and it may change how things are run, and how often we get fight cards, and what types of fights are booked. It is an interesting situation that needs to be followed.
Paul:
Can anyone break away from the pack of really good fighters to become a bigger than life star that people will flock to in droves to see fight on PPV? UFC has always had 2-3 such fighters since their business exploded in popularity in 2005. The biggest possibility would seem to be Francis NGannou should he beat Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight title. Other contenders would be Rose Namajunas or Sage Northcutt if the latter could string a series of wins together.
Josh:
I really wonder where the sport will be at a year from now. It feels like 2016 was an anomaly and 2017 was the norm with what Endeavor’s vision is: a few loaded PPVs a year, some PPVs reliant on one or two fights, a lot of thin cards on free TV and Fight Pass, and “we gotta fill out a show” booking. I hope we are in a better place a year from now, but we’re going to need a few lucky breaks and some real forward thinking (less events in the new TV deal) in order to get there.
At one point, Travis Browne was surging in the UFC heavyweight division and was closing in on what seemed like big things. On the September 22, 2011, WGAM MMA Show, yours truly and co-host/producer PJ Huot talked to him as he prepared to fight at UFC 135 against Rob Broughton.
We began the show by previewing UFC 135, headlined by then-light heavyweight champion Jon Jones vs. Rampage Jackson in Denver, CO. This is where the Jones train began to come off the tracks as he famously griped about having to autograph a replica title belt and the fans that once adored him began to turn on him.
We also discussed Matt Hughes vs. Josh Koscheck and I regrettably poked fun at Mark Hunt.
We then talked to Browne for a solid 15 minutes about his SportsCenter highlight of knocking out Stefan Struve, his upbringing in Hawaii, and how he was a self-admitted Blink182 groupie. This was such a difference between the angry guy I listened to at a press conference years later after the UFC’s last visit to Boston.
We wrapped up by previewing the Michael Bisping-Mayhem Miller season of TUF and discussing Kimbo Slice vs. DADA 5000 — a fight that wouldn’t happen until years later.
On a day when the California State Athletic Commission changed Jon Jones’ third round knockout win over Daniel Cormier to a no-contest due to Jones’ PED failure, the UFC reinstated Cormier as the UFC light heavyweight champion.
On Wednesday’s edition of UFC Tonight, Cormier discussed the reversal and then the championship being returned:
BREAKING: Daniel Cormier says Dana White will reinstate him as UFC light heavyweight champion! Thoughts? https://t.co/Ai6eOUAh07
Cormier said that financially, the belt makes a huge difference as opposed to him fighting for the vacant title which is why he accepted it.
The 38-year-old had a four-fight win streak snapped at the hands of Jones, the only man to ever defeat Cormier. He won the title Jones vacated after he dispatched Anthony Johnson in May 2015. After wins over Alexander Gustafsson, Johnson again, and a non-title victory over Anderson Silva, Cormier finally got the rematch against Jones that was originally scheduled for UFC 200.
Gustafsson remains the front runner for the next shot against Cormier while Volkan Oezdemir remains a dark horse candidate.
Citing multiple sources, ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reported Tuesday night that UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones’ B sample has also tested positive for a banned subsance.
MMA Fighting also confirmed the news.
In late-August, TMZ reported that Jones had tested positive for the anabolic steroid Turinabol from a sample taken on July 28th. He and his team denied Jones had knowingly taken anything and there was hope the B sample might show something different. Alas, that apparently wasn’t the case.
After additional due process, Jones will await punishment from both the California State Athletic Commission and USADA that could see him out of action for up to four years, a crushing blow to a career that looked to have been revived after his big knockout win over rival Daniel Cormier at UFC 214 — his return after a year on the shelf due to taking estrogen blockers.
Jones can appeal any rulings. As of now, he has yet to be stripped of the title.
After the Cormier win, Jones was setting up a fight with WWE Universal Champion and former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar for the future — a fight that seems to be all but dead as of now.
