LAS VEGAS -- Jon Jones could know the result of his ‘B' sample by Thursday night, USADA officials confirmed with MMA Fighting. It's highly doubtful it will alter his standing with regards to UFC 200, per UFC president Dana White.
On Wednesday night, Jones was pulled from the main event of the card against Daniel Cormier after it was found out that he was flagged by USADA for a potential anti-doping violation. Jones failed an out-of-competition drug test from a sample that was taken June 16. USADA was notified Wednesday and immediately informed Jones and the UFC.
Jones' team has requested the ‘B' sample be tested and those results could come back as early as Thursday night, according to USADA spokesperson Ryan Madden. The 'B' sample results can go back so quickly, because the lab is only focused on testing for a specific substance rather than all the drugs on the WADA list.
"Given that Mr. Jones has spoken publicly about the issue, I can confirm that he has been notified of a potential anti-doping policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition test on June 16," Madden said in a statement. "Mr. Jones' B-sample is currently being analyzed by the independent WADA-accredited laboratory in Salt Lake City, Utah, and we have requested that the laboratory report those results to us as soon as possible. While at this time we are not going to provide any further specifics of the case, I can tell you that Mr. Jones will be provided full due process under the rules."
"I can also confirm that USADA has been in communication with the Nevada State Athletic Commission regarding Mr. Jones' potential violation and that we are working to ensure that the Commission has the necessary information to fully adjudicate this matter in accordance with its rules."
White said Thursday on "The Herd" that Jones actually tested positive for two banned agents and the likelihood of the 'B' sample coming back negative is slim.
"They basically said he's out and he tested for a banned substance," White said. "Basically, for the 'B' sample to not be the same, especially when there's two different agents I think, it would be like hitting the lottery for that to come up negative."
Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) executive director Bob Bennett told MMA Fighting on Thursday that the commission will wait to see if Jones' ‘B' sample comes back positive and then, if it does, proceed from there. If the ‘B' sample is positive, Bennett said Jones' hearing will also be adjudicated by the NAC.
USADA won't comment on the specific substance Jones tested for until the athlete reveals it first. Bennett said the substance will be included in the official complaint against Jones if the NAC adjudicates it.
Though USADA conducted the test and will possibly put in place its own sanction of Jones, the jurisdiction still falls to Nevada, because the test was in relation to what would have been Jones' fight with Cormier. That means Jones is facing discipline from two different bodies: USADA/UFC and the commission.
At a press conference Thursday morning, an emotional Jones said he has never knowingly cheated and taken performance-enhancing drugs. His manager Malki Kawa implied that the banned substance in Jones' system might have stemmed from something tainted that was ingested.
USADA has tested Jones eight times in 2016 and this was the only test failure.
Dave Doyle contributed to this story
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