Jon Jones Declines CSAC-Recommended VADA Drug Testing
Jon Jones will return to action at December 29’s UFC 232, but he won’t be undergoing VADA testing before he does.
The controversial former UFC champion was relicensed by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) last week. The commission did so on the conditions that he pay his $205,000 fine and participate in community service.
However, commissioner Martha Shen-Urquidez recommended that Jones undergo Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency (VADA) testing to further prove he was a clean competitor:
“I, for one, would like to put the doubts to sleep and to put them away once and for all. And for people to believe you, that you are that talented and that you are the greatest, and that you can win a fight just clean, and that this is Jon Jones, and to put those doubts away once and for all.”
The commission even offered to pay for the testing program out of his $205,000 fine.
No VADA For UFC 232
Jones’ legal counsel Howard Jacobs confirmed that his client was ‘agreeable in principle’ to the program but would have to look into it further. However, upon further review, Jones and his team have declined to participate in VADA. MMAjunkie has reported that CSAC executive director Andy Foster informed them today that Jones and his counsel have decided to pass on VADA testing.
On Monday, Jacobs told MMAjunkie there were “some issues” with the VADA testing program. The VADA program would have tested only for PEDs rather than recreational drugs of abuse. He did not respond to questions about the situation.
VADA tests athletes voluntarily and reports the results directly to presiding athletic commissions unlike USADA, who regulates all results and punishments with the UFC. During the CSAC hearing, Foster was highly critical of USADA and how they conduct testing. He claimed he would simply have USADA send him the test results in the future and then decide what to do with them from there.
It’s important to note that undergoing the additional VADA testing was not a requirement for Jones to be reinstated. It was an out-of-the-blue, short-notice request that most athletes may not agree to on such a time frame.
Jones is still eligible to return against rival Alexander Gustafsson in the main event of December 29’s UFC 232 from Las Vegas, Nevada.
