Suspension of Jones to end in October; return uncertain
Beleaguered former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is eligible to return to competition Oct. 28, just days before the organization has a pay-per-view event at
Madison Square Garden in New York that is still without a main event.
An arbitrator decided on a 15-month suspension for Jones as a result of a failed steroid test July 28, 2017, in a decision announced Wednesday by the U.S. Anti-doping Agency. The sanction is retroactive to the date of the test, which was administered on the eve of
Jones’ last fight, a knockout of Daniel Cormier in Anaheim, California.
The victory was vacated, and UFC officials stripped Jones of the belt he won that night, returning it to Cormier as soon as the results of the test were made public in August 2017.
“It’s difficult to express myself at this moment but I can definitely say my heart is filled with gratitude and appreciation,” Jones posted Wednesday night on Twitter. “I want to thank all of you who have stood by me during the toughest stretch of my life. It has meant the world to me and always will. But now is the time to shift the focus front and center to the road ahead. Greatness is what I’m chasing and the path to reclaiming my throne is now officially open. “Comeback Season begins now.”
Jones now could headline UFC 230 on Nov. 3, but UFC president Dana White told ESPN it wouldn’t happen.