Jon Jones lawyer opens up on how USADA arbitration went

UFC pound for pound kingpin Jon Jones is currently in the process of appealing his failed drug test that saw the interim light heavyweight champ forced out of his UFC 200 scrap with Daniel Cormier just 48 hours before the fight was set to take place back in July.

Despite being pulled from the card, Jones maintained his innocence. In the following months, UFC President Dana White revealed that things were looking up for Jones, and that there was a very high chance he didn’t knowingly take banned substances. Not long after that announcement, White revealed that he was actually considering making a Jon Jones vs. Anthony Johnson matchup for the light heavyweight championship. Ultimately however, the UFC brass opted to book a light heavyweight title fight between Johnson and light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier for UFC 206 in Toronto on December 10th given that Jones’ case with USADA is currently ongoing.

With that being said, Jones’ attorney, Howard Jacobs, recently presented the facts of the case to USADA for arbitration before Jones appears in front of the NSAC on November 10th.

He spoke with MMAFighting, saying:

“We had a long hearing. We were here for like nine or ten hours, and I think the evidence all came in, and we’re happy with how the case went. Now we’re just going to wait for the decision. It’s out of our hands now.”

When asked about why he requested an expedited decision from USADA, Jacobs explained that he and his team would like USADA’s ruling on how they believe the case should be handled before Jones appears in front of the NSAC on November 10th.

“We think that before Nevada hears the case, it would be useful for them to see how these arbitrators have analyzed the same facts, and come to the decision that they’re going to come to. I think it’ll be useful for Nevada to see how they’ve come to it. It’s the first case that’s gone to a hearing with the UFC, and I think Nevada’s equally interested to see what decision they come to.”

He concluded:

“We’re satisfied with how the evidence came in, and we’ll wait for the decision.”

Stay tuned for updates on Jones’ case when they become available.