At
the age of 23, former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was the youngest
person to win a UFC title. He held the 205-pound belt for four years and
defended it eight times. He was going to fight Anthony Johnson at UFC 187 but
weeks before the fight Jones was involved in a hit-and-run incident and stripped
of the belt. He returned at UFC 197 and beat Ovince Saint Preux to win the
interim light heavyweight title which set him up to have a rematch with Daniel
Cormier, who had the 205-pound championship. The rematch was going to happen at
UFC 200 but three days before the fight Jones was removed from the card because
he failed an out-of-competition drug test. Jones was suspended for a year. He
returned at UFC 214 in July and recaptured his belt when he knocked out Cormier.
Jones then got caught using an anabolic steroid and the results of the fight was
overturned giving Cormier the belt back. On a recent podcast UFC President Dana
White told the hosts, “Yeah, yeah, I’m mad at Jon Jones. We haven’t talked at
all. I’m very disappointed in him. I think he is the greatest of all time. If he
had done everything the way he should have, he’d be a huge superstar. He might
even be the heavyweight champion of the world.” Jones may get an even longer
suspension from the USADA and the California State Athletic Commission so he may
never fight again. White isn’t even sure if he wants him in UFC once the
suspension is over. |