Jon Jones & Brock Lesnar Could Potentially Face Shorter Suspensions

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones and former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar were both notified by USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) of potential anti-doping violations regarding tests surrounding July 9’s blockbuster UFC 200 card. Jones was pulled from his scheduled main event bout just days prior while Lesnar was notified of his potential mishap after his co-main event victory over Mark Hunt. Ironically, both men have apparently tested positive for anti-estrogen blockers, but they both also may luck out in a way.

Typically, a fighter who tests positive for the first time faces a minimum two-year suspension, but “Bones” and “The Beast” will both be facing one-year suspensions at most. This is because the substances the duo popped for are considered by the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) to be ‘specified substances’ according to a report from MMAFighting.com. Basically that means that “there is a greater likelihood that these (specified) substances could be susceptible to a credible non-doping explanation” as stated in the code. It has also been made clear that if a fighter is caught with a ‘specified substance’ in his system, he could face a punishment as a small as a public warning. That said fighter could also take the case to arbitration if he chooses not to accept the punishment.

Both Jones and Lesnar are also facing potential suspensions and fines from the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). Neither USADA nor the commission has yet to hand out a punishment, but both men are expected to appear before the NSAC later this year.

Jones last competed at April’s UFC 197 where he scored a decision victory over Ovince Saint Preux to become the interim UFC 205-pound champion after being stripped of his long-held title in 2015 due to legal issues. Prior to fighting Hunt, Lesnar had spent nearly five years away from the sport after dealing with a brutal battle with diverticulitis.