Jon Jones, the UFC light heavyweight champion, has spoken publicly for the first time in regards to him testing positive for a metabolite found in cocaine.
Jones stated that in his life he has been only a recreational user. "I had done it quite a few times in college, I had experimented with it, but that's really it. It has never been an issue." He also states "I have dipped and dabbled in my share of partying. My friends and family know that there's no room in my life to become a cocaine addict". Jones was apparently at a party before the fight in where the cocaine was ingested however he vehemently states that he will not make excuses for his actions.
The lack of testosterone in both Jones and Cormier, which was slightly lower than the average, led to a firestorm of articles accusing them of taking performance enhancing drugs. Jones responded to that by saying "every man has different levels of testosterone. A lot of people wrote articles that, possibly, were steroid guys….I have never taken performance-enhancing drugs. Ever."
After it was widely reported that Jones left after spending a day at a rehabilitation facility before checking out, Jones shed some light on what led up to that decision. Three doctors had concluded that Jones only needed outpatient counseling and Jones plans on continuing to be drug tested weekly along with a weekly visit with a counselor. Jones has been fined $25,000 by the UFC for violating their athletic code of conduct and that money will go to a substance abuse prevention program.
