nobodyspecial
07-07-2016, 04:50 AM
LAS VEGAS – One of the biggest rematches in UFC history has been scrapped just three days before the event.
In a blockbuster announcement, UFC President Dana White tonight said the UFC 200 main event between light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier (17-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) and interim champ Jon Jones (22-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) is off the card.
White brought out UFC Vice President of Athlete Health & Performance Jeff Novitzky to say the promotion had been notified by the U.S. Anti-Doping Association that Jones had been notified of a potential violation.
The new headliner will be the previous co-main event heavyweight bout between Mark Hunt (12-10-1 MMA, 7-4-1 UFC) and former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar (5-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC), White said. The fight will be three rounds.
Novitzky read from a prepared statement, which subsequently was released by the UFC:
“The UFC organization was notified tonight that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Jon Jones of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collection on June 16, 2016.
USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case. It is important to note that, under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, there is a full fair legal review process that is afforded to all athletes before any sanctions are imposed.
However, because Jones was scheduled to compete against Daniel Cormier this coming Saturday, July 9 in Las Vegas, there is insufficient time for a full review before the scheduled bout and therefore the fight has been removed from the fight card. As a result, the three-round heavyweight bout between Brock Lesnar and Mark Hunt will become the UFC 200 main event.
Consistent with all previous potential anti-doping violations, additional information or UFC statements will be provided at the appropriate time as the process moves forward.
Ticket refunds available upon request at primary point of purchase.”
White said he has not spoken with Jones yet, and was unsure if the fighter would request that a “B” sample be tested. White said Jones has the chance to prove his innocence, but if the positive test is true, it’s “super, super disappointing.”
Jones tested positive for cocaine metabolites prior to his first fight with Cormier at UFC 182. Because benzoylecgonine, the metabolite he tested positive for, was not banned out of competition by the World Anti-Doping Agency, the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which oversaw UFC 182, could not halt Jones from fighting at the event.
Jones entered rehab for one day after news of that positive test, which came prior to the UFC’s partnership with USADA for its anti-doping program.
A positive test for Jones – technically his first offense – could yield a two-year suspension by USADA at minimum, and could go as high as four years for “aggravating circumstances.”
White said the news is particular rough for Cormier, more so than the UFC.
“When you have the biggest, baddest fight card ever assembled, it doesn’t sting as bad if you lose a fight – but it stings real bad for Daniel Cormier,” White told MMAjunkie. “This is the way it should be. We have the best program in all of sports. This is the way it should be. … I kept going, ‘Everything is going so smooth,’ and nobody had been hurt. Everyone was healthy. So this was a pretty brutal phone call.”
UFC 200 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass. It closes out a week that features three cards in three days in Las Vegas.
White did not rule out the possibility that Cormier could remain on the card with a last-minute replacement for Jones.
“This is devastating to Daniel Cormier, not only mentally and physically – he just went through a camp – but financially,” White said. “This pay-per-view is trending to be massive, and he shares in that revenue. It’s devastating to him in every way it could possibly be.
“(UFC matchmaker) Joe Silva is in the air right now, so he doesn’t know. I’ll talk to him when he lands. Maybe someone wants to pop up and fight Cormier last minute. Who knows. Stranger things have happened. I’d like for that to happen for Cormier, obviously.”
Cormier and Jones have developed into one of the most bitter rivalries in MMA history. In early 2015, then-champ Jones defeated Cormier by unanimous decision for a UFC-record eighth consecutive light-heavyweight title defense. That came on the heels of an incident that had them brawling in the lobby of the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino after a news conference the previous fall.
However, when Jones was arrested following an April 2015 hit-and-run accident, he was stripped of the belt. Cormier then won the vacant title with a submission of Anthony Johnson, and he defended it with split-decision victory over Alexander Gustafsson this past October.
Jones and Cormier were then expected to finally rematch at UFC 197 in April. However, Cormier was forced off the card with a foot injury, and Jones, who returned from a 15-month layoff, instead fought and defeated Ovince Saint Preux – convincingly, but not with his usual dominance – to claim the interim belt.
Cormier, who served as a fight-night commentator, said he would have beaten the version of Jones who showed up at UFC 197, and White suggested the same.
Jones is ranked No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA light-heavyweight rankings, and Cormier is No. 2. After recently losing the top spot to flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, Jones is No. 2 pound-for-pound.
In a blockbuster announcement, UFC President Dana White tonight said the UFC 200 main event between light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier (17-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) and interim champ Jon Jones (22-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) is off the card.
White brought out UFC Vice President of Athlete Health & Performance Jeff Novitzky to say the promotion had been notified by the U.S. Anti-Doping Association that Jones had been notified of a potential violation.
The new headliner will be the previous co-main event heavyweight bout between Mark Hunt (12-10-1 MMA, 7-4-1 UFC) and former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar (5-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC), White said. The fight will be three rounds.
Novitzky read from a prepared statement, which subsequently was released by the UFC:
“The UFC organization was notified tonight that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Jon Jones of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collection on June 16, 2016.
USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case. It is important to note that, under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, there is a full fair legal review process that is afforded to all athletes before any sanctions are imposed.
However, because Jones was scheduled to compete against Daniel Cormier this coming Saturday, July 9 in Las Vegas, there is insufficient time for a full review before the scheduled bout and therefore the fight has been removed from the fight card. As a result, the three-round heavyweight bout between Brock Lesnar and Mark Hunt will become the UFC 200 main event.
Consistent with all previous potential anti-doping violations, additional information or UFC statements will be provided at the appropriate time as the process moves forward.
Ticket refunds available upon request at primary point of purchase.”
White said he has not spoken with Jones yet, and was unsure if the fighter would request that a “B” sample be tested. White said Jones has the chance to prove his innocence, but if the positive test is true, it’s “super, super disappointing.”
Jones tested positive for cocaine metabolites prior to his first fight with Cormier at UFC 182. Because benzoylecgonine, the metabolite he tested positive for, was not banned out of competition by the World Anti-Doping Agency, the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which oversaw UFC 182, could not halt Jones from fighting at the event.
Jones entered rehab for one day after news of that positive test, which came prior to the UFC’s partnership with USADA for its anti-doping program.
A positive test for Jones – technically his first offense – could yield a two-year suspension by USADA at minimum, and could go as high as four years for “aggravating circumstances.”
White said the news is particular rough for Cormier, more so than the UFC.
“When you have the biggest, baddest fight card ever assembled, it doesn’t sting as bad if you lose a fight – but it stings real bad for Daniel Cormier,” White told MMAjunkie. “This is the way it should be. We have the best program in all of sports. This is the way it should be. … I kept going, ‘Everything is going so smooth,’ and nobody had been hurt. Everyone was healthy. So this was a pretty brutal phone call.”
UFC 200 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass. It closes out a week that features three cards in three days in Las Vegas.
White did not rule out the possibility that Cormier could remain on the card with a last-minute replacement for Jones.
“This is devastating to Daniel Cormier, not only mentally and physically – he just went through a camp – but financially,” White said. “This pay-per-view is trending to be massive, and he shares in that revenue. It’s devastating to him in every way it could possibly be.
“(UFC matchmaker) Joe Silva is in the air right now, so he doesn’t know. I’ll talk to him when he lands. Maybe someone wants to pop up and fight Cormier last minute. Who knows. Stranger things have happened. I’d like for that to happen for Cormier, obviously.”
Cormier and Jones have developed into one of the most bitter rivalries in MMA history. In early 2015, then-champ Jones defeated Cormier by unanimous decision for a UFC-record eighth consecutive light-heavyweight title defense. That came on the heels of an incident that had them brawling in the lobby of the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino after a news conference the previous fall.
However, when Jones was arrested following an April 2015 hit-and-run accident, he was stripped of the belt. Cormier then won the vacant title with a submission of Anthony Johnson, and he defended it with split-decision victory over Alexander Gustafsson this past October.
Jones and Cormier were then expected to finally rematch at UFC 197 in April. However, Cormier was forced off the card with a foot injury, and Jones, who returned from a 15-month layoff, instead fought and defeated Ovince Saint Preux – convincingly, but not with his usual dominance – to claim the interim belt.
Cormier, who served as a fight-night commentator, said he would have beaten the version of Jones who showed up at UFC 197, and White suggested the same.
Jones is ranked No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA light-heavyweight rankings, and Cormier is No. 2. After recently losing the top spot to flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, Jones is No. 2 pound-for-pound.