Chael Sonnen had ‘more juice than Tropicana’ in UFC 159 fight with Jon Jones, says Jones was also using PEDs
Chael Sonnen has no doubt that Jon Jones was juiced up when the two clashed for the UFC light heavyweight championship in 2013.
Many fans consider Jon Jones to be the greatest fighter in the history of mixed martial arts. However, there are plenty of detractors that believe Jones’ claim to GOAT status is null and void due to multiple banned substance violations over the years. Recently, Jones suggested that positive USADA tests in 2016 and 2017 should be expunged after recent updates to the testing agency’s protocols would make Jones’ infractions no longer illegal.
There is certainly a debate to be had there, but during an appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Chael Sonnen openly accused Jon Jones of being on the juice during their UFC 159 showdown. Reminiscing about his main event matchup with Jones just days before ‘Bones’ makes his long-awaited return at UFC 285 on Saturday, Sonnen gave an emphatic “no” when Helwani asked if he believes Jones was clean during their encounter.
“No. Heavens no. Oh my God. We know our own. I could tell, very easily. It would be the body. It would start with your delts, it would go to your nipples, then it would be the upper abs or the three big tells.”
Chael Sonnen is Open About His Own History of PED Usage
Chael Sonnen is no stranger to PED usage, having been flagged on multiple occasions himself. Following his August 2010 loss to Anderson Silva, it was revealed that Sonnen had an unallowably high testosterone ratio. At the time, UFC athletes were allowed to undergo testosterone replacement therapy that would allow them to have a testosterone ratio of 4:1. Sonnen’s was nearly 17 times higher than the allowed limit. His blatant misuse of the TRT exemption resulted in the outright ban of TRT for all fighters.
Continuing to discuss his fight with Jones, Chael Sonnen openly admitted that he went into the bout using performance enhancers himself and knew the tells to determine ‘Bones’ had been doing the same ahead of the fight.
“I had more juice than Tropicana and he pushed me around like a Mack truck versus a Volvo. As soon as we locked up with each other, as he’s pushing me backward before he comes with his big spinning elbow, I remember thinking, ‘I know your secret because I got the same one.’”
Sonnen also explained that using banned substances was much easier during that time. Before USADA was implemented, fighters were made aware of when they would be tested, allowing them to cycle their usage in order to test clean and then resume using their PED of choice.
“They tested but back then it was an IQ test, not a drug test because we didn’t have USADA so they had to tell us when they would come in and test.”
