The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday said that it has fined light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones USD 25,000 after he tested positive for a cocaine medical examination. The UFC, however, refrained itself from banning the top-ranked player from fighting.
According to the UFC, Jones has been found guilty of violating its athlete code of conduct as his cocaine test result was found positive by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
“We came to this decision after reviewing the facts surrounding the issue, and after receiving confirmation from the Nevada Athletic Commission that Jones passed all required drug tests following his bout at UFC 182 on January 3,” the UFC said in a statement released on its website on Saturday.
The test result was revealed late December, days before the fighter successfully defended his belt with 21-1 for the eighth straight time, claiming a unanimous-decision win over Daniel Cormier on January 3 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Jones won a USD 50,000 fight-of-the-night bonus for his triumph over Cormier after he received scores of 49-46 by all the three judges.
The UFC further announced that the fine money received from Jones will be donated to a substance abuse prevention program.
Executive director Bob Bennett said that the Nevada commission didn’t stop Jones-Cormier fight as it follows the World Anti-Doping Agency code, which does not suspend a player for a positive out-of-competition test for a street drug. However, they suspend a player for a positive test for a performance-enhancing substance.
Last week, the commission decided to form a committee to review whether following such a policy for fighters is proper.
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