Just days before the landmark UFC 200 event was supposed to go down at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, interim UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has been removed from the event due to a possible doping violation.
UFC president Dana White made the shocking announcement on Wednesday night at an impromptu press conference.
Dana White holds a press conference live now https://t.co/FvY0drt5gG
— UFC (@ufc) July 7, 2016
“The UFC organization was notified tonight that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Jon Jones of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collection on June 16, 2016,” the UFC said in a statement.
“USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case. It is important to note that, under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, there is a full fair legal review process that is afforded to all athletes before any sanctions are imposed.
“However, because Jones was scheduled to compete against Daniel Cormier this coming Saturday, July 9 in Las Vegas, there is insufficient time for a full review before the scheduled bout and therefore the fight has been removed from the fight card. As a result, the three-round heavyweight bout between Brock Lesnar and Mark Hunt will become the UFC 200 main event.
“Consistent with all previous potential anti-doping violations, additional information or UFC statements will be provided at the appropriate time as the process moves forward.”
This is the second time that Jones has tested positive for drugs in his past three fights. Jones tested positive for cocaine before his previous fight with Cormier at UFC 182 in January 2015.
With the shocking news, the new UFC 200 main event will be Brock Lesnar vs. Mark Hunt.
The main event for UFC 200 is Brock Lesnar vs Mark Hunt. pic.twitter.com/RQU5ZcBRl9
— UFC (@ufc) July 7, 2016
According to White, there is still a chance Cormier remains on the UFC 200 fight card, but it is dependent on whether the promotion can find a replacement on three days notice.
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