Mixed martial arts star Jon Jones was fined $205,000 and had his fighting license revoked on Tuesday following a hearing in front of the California State Athletic Commission.
Ultimate Fighting Championship ace Jones tested positive for the steroid Turinabol following an in-competition test ahead of his win against Daniel Cormier last July.
The 30-year-old light-heavyweight was subsequently stripped of his title and his win over Cormier was later declared a no-contest.
It was the third time Jones has been stripped of his title.
He lost the crown in 2015 following a hit-and-run incident and was stripped of it a second time following an anti-doping violation in 2016.
Jones’s career is now hanging in the balance, with further sanctions expected from the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), which could suspend him from fighting for four years for a second offence.
Jones told Tuesday’s hearing that he believed he had ingested the steroid in his most recent case inadvertently through a supplement.
The fighter’s defence team, however, were unable to pinpoint the supplement blamed for the test.
CSAC executive Andy Foster said he believed Jones story, telling the hearing “it doesn’t make any sense” that the fighter would knowingly take steroids while in competition.
“I want to be very clear that I do not believe that we should end Mr Jones’s career today,” Foster said. “But I do believe he should sit out for a while.”
Jones issued a statement following the hearing.
“I want to thank CSAC for taking the time and hearing my case, and executive officer Andy Foster for saying he believes me,” he wrote on Twitter.
