New fight for Jones

More drug allegations against champ

After a seemingly redemptive return to the Octagon at UFC 214, Jon Jones finds himself back in a distressingly familiar position — having to defend himself against another image-shattering allegation of wrongdoing.

This time, it’s a doping failure for the antiquated steroid Turinabol The drug, which is illegal to distribute in the United States but was long a staple of East German Olympians, is said to help fighters retain lean muscle mass while cutting weight.

Jones flunked a scheduled test after he weighed in for his July 29 grudge match against Daniel Cormier. It was Jones’ first bout after a prior doping suspension that shelved him for a year. Jones landed a stiff, third-round head kick to reclaim his UFC light heavyweight crown.

His earnest post-fight speech galvanized fans who were hungry to believe he was back on the path to building the best MMA campaign ever, and hinted at a future heavyweight campaign. But now Jones, 30, is again likely to be stripped of his title, and could face a daunting four-year suspension.

The black eye comes not only after Jones prior test failures, but also a hit-and-run car accident for which he served probation, and prior scandals.

Jones and his handlers have expressed shock at the new development, and pledged to scour Jones’ supplements for undisclosed traces of Turinabol. Last year, Jones and his team were able to convince a United States Anti-Doping Agency arbitration panel that his prior failure, for drugs used to counter side effects of a steroid cycle, stemmed from an erectile dysfunction pill he naively took.

The USADA lab in Utah will this week test a B sample taken from Jones to confirm the positive test.

Jones will have the chance to submit evidence to USADA of the source of the Turinabol, such as sealed canisters of a supplement that contains the steroid. The agency would weigh such evidence in determining if Jones was “at fault,” a finding that would likely determine if he’s stripped of the title. Jones would then be able to contest the charge at arbitration.

It’s not known how long Jones’ UFC fight contract runs, but former BALCO anti-doping investigator Jeff Novitzky said a promotional agreement all UFC fighters sign legally binds them to adhere to the anti-doping program and not fight elsewhere. Frank Mir, Jones’ former teammate, also tested positive for Turinabol last year. He was released from the UFC and signed with Bellator MMA.

Novitzky said USADA will investigate any information that indicates the source of the banned substance.

Per UFC policy, a fighter’s second failure for a steroid such as Turinabol subjects him to a fouryear suspension.

Though prior tests for Turinabol had a short detection window of 3-5 days, a newer test can detect usage months after ingestion.

Jones’ reps have questioned how he could have passed random drug screens three weeks before the Cormier fight, only to fail a test after the weigh in.

Novitzky cocedes that Jones might have a point.

Jones’ manager, who has had other clients run afoul of USADA, has also railed against the UFC’s policy of publicly announcing a potential doping violation before a fighter has exhausted his due process rights, which can take months. Novitzky sees problems with a lack of transparency.

“In my opinion, if we were pulling people off cards and not scheduling fighters to fight, that’s when rumors begin circulating,” he said. “I think distrust is built, because we’re not saying anything about what’s going on. The strength of this program is the deterrent it provides to athletes so they don’t choose to dope. It causes athletes to be more careful. Nobody wants that announcement to come out.”

Streaking Johnson irked

Demetrious Johnson has the chance to break Anderson Silva’s record for consecutive UFC title defenses when he faces Ray Borg at UFC 215 on Sept. 9, as the company’s first and only flyweight king looks to bolster his legendary resume.

And though the 31-year-old has been hounded by calls to move up to 135, Johnson seems more focused on breaking the record of 10 defenses — and then some.

“Why not set the bar as high as I can?” Johnson said. “It’s at 11, and if I can set it at 15, I mean, why not?”

Johnson rankled UFC management by declining to fill in as a late injury replacement for UFC bantamweight champ Cody Garbrandt against former champ T.J. Dillashaw this summer, and responded with an uncharacteristic public scolding of the UFC for not publicizing his tying the title defense record. Johnson said he and UFC honcho Dana White, though, are back on the same page.

“The conversation that me and Dana White had at UFC 214 was just two grown-ass men discussing what happened in the downfall, and we’re on good terms,” Johnson said. “We’re ready to go out there and put on an exciting fight.”

Johnson is still smarting, though. During a UFC teleconference last week, he groused over the UFC’s decision to use an ad spot on the popular Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor event to promote superstar Georges St. Pierre’s November return to the cage. This despite Johnson’s bid to break looming as the next pay show on the UFC calendar.

“That just shows you where their mind is at right now,” Johnson said.