Jon Jones’ Doping Hearing with California Commission Finally Has a Date

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is one step closer to finding out his punishment after testing positive for steroids following his last fight against Daniel Cormier in July 2017.

Jones is expected to appear before the California State Athletic Commission at their next meeting on Feb. 27 in Anaheim. 

Jones tested positive for the steroid Turinabol following his fight with Cormier at UFC 214 last year. The California Commission already ruled to overturn his win to a no contest following the revelation of the positive drug test.

Jones’ team had previously asked for a new date when he was originally scheduled for a hearing last December. Representatives from Jones’ team have vehemently denied that he knowingly took any kind of banned substance prior to the fight with Cormier last July.

Now Jones’ saga will be far from completed after he goes before the California Commission because he still has to deal with USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency), who actually returned the positive drug test from a sample given around his fight last July.

USADA officials declined to comment when asked if Jones’ arbitration had been scheduled with them. Jones has already faced USADA arbitration previously when he tested positive for the banned substances Clomiphene and Letrozol in 2015 before being suspended for one year.

Because Jones had a previous UFC anti-doping policy infraction with USADA it’s possible that his suspension could be as much as four years depending on the circumstances surrounding the positive drug test.

The California Commission will determine their own punishment for Jones with the hearing in February and that may or may not be similar to what is handed down when the former UFC champion finally has a hearing with USADA.

Jones remains on provisional suspension until his hearings with both the California Commission and USADA have been completed.