Jon Jones initially ditched optional VADA testing, but now it’s a requirement.
A lot has been made over the UFC 232 relocation. The event was scheduled to take place inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Instead, now The Forum in Inglewood, California will play host to UFC 232 this Saturday night (Dec. 29). That’s because Jones couldn’t get cleared to fight in Las Vegas after a trace amount of turinabol was found in his system.
Jon Jones Required To Enroll In VADA Program
ESPN’s Brett Okamoto took to Twitter to reveal that as part of the California State Athletic Commission’s agreement to approve Jones’ license, the UFC 232 headliner has been required to enroll in the VADA program:
Breaking: Jon Jones has enrolled in the VADA drug testing program as of today, in addition to the mandatory UFC USADA program. California required it, as part of its approval of UFC 232 move. Jones is the first MMA fighter to be enrolled in both VADA and USADA at the same time.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) December 24, 2018
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) determined that Jones’ test result was due to a pulsing effect and not because of a recent dosage. The Nevada State Athletic Commission didn’t have enough time to investigate, so they didn’t allow the fight to take place in Las Vegas. CSAC executive director Andy Foster told Ariel Helwani that the Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory found no evidence of a new injection.
During Jones’ recent hearing with the CSAC, the former UFC light heavyweight champion was granted his license in the state of California. A CSAC official suggested that Jones enroll in the VADA program, which would’ve been optional. “Bones” declined the recommendation. Now, Jones must be tested by USADA and VADA.
What are your thoughts on Jon Jones now having to undergo VADA testing?
