Jon Jones reaches deal with NSAC, can fight again in July

Good news for Jon Jones fans. The former light heavyweight champion and pound-for-pound great has reached an agreement with the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). He has been suspended for one year. Because this suspension is retroactive to July 7, 2016, he’ll be able to fight again on July 7 of the coming year. This suspension matches the one-year suspension Jones was handed by the United States Anti Doping Agency (USADA).

This news comes from MMAJunkie.com.

Jones’ suspension stems from a failed out-of-competition drug test in the buildup to the landmark UFC 200. Jones was originally expected to headline the card opposite Daniel Cormier, who he defeated in early 2015, and has been wearing the light heavyweight belt in his stead. Unsurprisingly, his failed drug test nixed this plan, and he was yanked from the lineup. UFC 200 was then instead headlined by a bantamweight title fight between Amanda Nunes and Miesha Tate.

Jones attributed his failed test to his use of a sexual enhancement pill, not overt steroid use. Given that this would make his failed test accidental, he and his legal team hoped he would walk away from the incident with a simple slap on the wrist. This, obviously, will not be the case. The one-year suspension he received for the incident, however, is a far cry from some of the harsher sentences the NSAC has handed out in the past.

When we last saw Jones in action he defeated Ovince St. Preux by unanimous decision to win the interim light heavyweight title. The victory, which was one of the least impressive of his career, followed a long stretch of inactivity, spurred on by several unfortunate brushes with the law.

Though he does not currently wear UFC light heavyweight gold, Jones is widely considered the greatest light heavyweight alive. He’s also considered to be the pound-for-pound best fighter alive by many fans, though Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson can also lay claim to that title.

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