UFC star Jon Jones denied any wrongdoing at a news conference on Thursday after he was pulled from his fight against Daniel Cormier at UFC 200.
The UFC removed Jones from UFC 200 Wednesday night after the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency informed him of a potential doping violation. Jones said that a banned substance was found in a sample that he provided during a drug test on June 16, according to ESPN. He wouldn’t say what the banned substance was and claimed he doesn’t know how it got into his system.
"The whole situation really sucks," Jones said. "It really sucks, really hurts a lot. They found something in one of my samples that I have no clue what it is. I don't even know how to pronounce it. I've been taking the same supplements the majority of my career."
He went on to say that he’s against performance enhancers and that being labeled as someone who would cheat hurts the most.
This isn’t the first time that Jones has been in trouble. He plead guilty to DUI charges after being arrested in 2012. Before UFC 182, he tested positive for a metabolite of cocaine and entered rehab. In addition, he was arrested for a hit-and-run accident last April which cost him his light heavyweight title and he served a lengthy suspension due to the accident, according to Fox Sports. He is 22-1 in his career.
Malki Kawa, Jones’ manager, said that Jones would appeal the test results and they have requested that Jones’ B sample be tested. Jones could face a two-year suspension if he loses the appeal. Brock Lesnar’s fight with Mark Hunt will now be the main event at UFC 200 with the Jones being removed.