http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...om&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial
Three days after defeating Daniel Cormier in a light heavyweight championship bout at UFC 182, pound-for-pound king Jon "Bones" Jones announced his intention to enter a drug rehabilitation facility.
Jones' attorney released a statement from the fighter to Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports:
With the support of my family, I have entered into a drug treatment facility. I want to apologize to my fiancée, my children, as well as my mother, father, and brothers for the mistake that I made. I also want to apologize to the UFC, my coaches, my sponsors and equally important to my fans. I am taking this treatment program very seriously. Therefore, at this time my family and I would appreciate privacy.
UFC released an official statement on the news (via UFC.com):
We support UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones’ decision to enter a drug treatment facility to address his recent issue. While we are disappointed in the failed test, we applaud him for making this decision to enter a drug treatment facility. Jon is a strong, courageous fighter inside the Octagon, and we expect him to fight this issue with the same poise and diligence. We commend him on his decision, and look forward to him emerging from this program a better man as a result.
Marc Raimolndi of MMAFighting.com passes along comments from Jones' striking coach Brandon Gibson:
I'm going to be there for him as a friend and help guide him through this challenging time. We are behind him 100 percent, as brothers, friends and coaches. This is bigger than any other challenger that we've faced before.
Jones (21-1, 9 KOs) defeated heated rival Cormier via unanimous decision Saturday night. It was Jones' eighth consecutive title defense, putting him two away from matching the record set by all-time great Anderson Silva.
Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com provides a statement from Cormier, who commented on Jones' test:
I am aware of Jon's test and if there is anything to say it is this: there are a lot of people you impact, so please let's get it together. Good luck on your rehab!
While the bout went off without a hitch, the Nevada State Athletic Commission confirmed to Iole that Jones failed a drug test on Dec. 4 prior to the bout. The test revealed Jones had benzoylecgonine in his system, the main metabolite of cocaine. Benzoylecgonine is not banned out of competition, so the NSAC could not penalize Jones at the time and the fight went ahead as planned. Jones was able to pass a subsequent test, per Iole.
Bob Bennett, the Nevada State Athletic Commission's executive director, would not speculate on whether the positive test would affect his eligibility in the future.
“At this point and time, Jones checked himself into a rehab center, and we’ll cross that bridge when he get to it,” Bennett told MMAjunkie.
I was shocked to hear this. Alot of people dont like Jones, but I think he has to be considered for the best of all time. The competition he faced has been top notch his whole career. His one "loss" was not really a loss. He was destroying someone, but got DQed for illegal elbows. Pretty amazing you can fight while snorting it up.
Three days after defeating Daniel Cormier in a light heavyweight championship bout at UFC 182, pound-for-pound king Jon "Bones" Jones announced his intention to enter a drug rehabilitation facility.
Jones' attorney released a statement from the fighter to Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports:
With the support of my family, I have entered into a drug treatment facility. I want to apologize to my fiancée, my children, as well as my mother, father, and brothers for the mistake that I made. I also want to apologize to the UFC, my coaches, my sponsors and equally important to my fans. I am taking this treatment program very seriously. Therefore, at this time my family and I would appreciate privacy.
UFC released an official statement on the news (via UFC.com):
We support UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones’ decision to enter a drug treatment facility to address his recent issue. While we are disappointed in the failed test, we applaud him for making this decision to enter a drug treatment facility. Jon is a strong, courageous fighter inside the Octagon, and we expect him to fight this issue with the same poise and diligence. We commend him on his decision, and look forward to him emerging from this program a better man as a result.
Marc Raimolndi of MMAFighting.com passes along comments from Jones' striking coach Brandon Gibson:
I'm going to be there for him as a friend and help guide him through this challenging time. We are behind him 100 percent, as brothers, friends and coaches. This is bigger than any other challenger that we've faced before.
Jones (21-1, 9 KOs) defeated heated rival Cormier via unanimous decision Saturday night. It was Jones' eighth consecutive title defense, putting him two away from matching the record set by all-time great Anderson Silva.
Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com provides a statement from Cormier, who commented on Jones' test:
I am aware of Jon's test and if there is anything to say it is this: there are a lot of people you impact, so please let's get it together. Good luck on your rehab!
While the bout went off without a hitch, the Nevada State Athletic Commission confirmed to Iole that Jones failed a drug test on Dec. 4 prior to the bout. The test revealed Jones had benzoylecgonine in his system, the main metabolite of cocaine. Benzoylecgonine is not banned out of competition, so the NSAC could not penalize Jones at the time and the fight went ahead as planned. Jones was able to pass a subsequent test, per Iole.
Bob Bennett, the Nevada State Athletic Commission's executive director, would not speculate on whether the positive test would affect his eligibility in the future.
“At this point and time, Jones checked himself into a rehab center, and we’ll cross that bridge when he get to it,” Bennett told MMAjunkie.
I was shocked to hear this. Alot of people dont like Jones, but I think he has to be considered for the best of all time. The competition he faced has been top notch his whole career. His one "loss" was not really a loss. He was destroying someone, but got DQed for illegal elbows. Pretty amazing you can fight while snorting it up.