Jon Jones to learn fate for failed drug test by the end of the month, manager suggests
JON JONES could finally learn his fate for his failed drug test at the end of the month, his manager Malki Kawa has suggested.
The former UFC light-heavyweight champion failed his final pre-fight drug test ahead of his UFC 214 grudge match with Daniel Cormier, a screening which detected trace amounts of the anabolic steroid turanibol in his system.
Nearly a year has passed since Jones' second anti-doping violation, and the United States Anti-Doping Agency have not yet sanctioned the 30-year-old, though he's had his license to compete in California revoked by the state's athletic commission and received a £150,000 fine.
The ongoing saga has left Jones in a state of limbo, but Kawa is expecting USADA to bestow their punishment on 'Bones' by the end of the month.
"I'm very confident we will have a decision on this thing by the end of this month,” Kawa told ESPN’s Ariel Helwani.
"They're pushing hard. I know everyone involved is working hard to come to a resolution.
"I know that the UFC is anxiously waiting and we're dealing with USADA on a daily basis.
"They've been really good with us as far as really investigating this thing and looking at it from a lot of different angles and stuff."
Jon Jones admits to poking his opponents in the eye
I'm very confident we will have a decision on this thing by the end of this month
Kawa is hoping USADA go lightly on Jones and that the youngest champion in UFC history can get back in the Octagon sooner rather than later.
“To me, this program should not try to punish guys that they know aren't trying to cheat,” he added.
“To them, the right thing could be he's innocent but he's still going to have suspension because he was negligent.
“So, you can get punished for being negligent, you can get punished for cheating.
"We'll see what they come up with this time.
"I'm hoping he gets cleared in the next month or so and that the opportunity to fight presents itself.
"If it's next year, early next year or whatever it is, I'm confident."
If USADA deems that Jones intentionally took the prohibited substance, they could very well hand him a four-year suspension, the standard penalty for a second-time offender.
Jones is adamant he didn't knowingly ingest the steroid and believes it may have entered his system through a tainted supplement.