Bisping Hopes Jones Stays Clean Post UFC 232 Test
One of the biggest advocates against performance enhancing drugs in MMA, Michael Bisping is happy but skeptical of Jon Jones passing his UFC 232 fight night drug test.
“So Jon Jones passed his post-fight drug test, which was the question that I asked him which pissed him off which led to him being kind of annoyed with me on the post-fight show,” Bisping said on his Believe You Me podcast recently. “I don’t want to turn this into Michael Bisping s***ting on Jon Jones because he’s a legendary fighter – he was the youngest ever champion in the UFC. But to me – and I don’t know the science, I’m speaking purely from the standpoint that this is a fair question to ask – the narrative as to why he failed the drug test and failed multiple drug tests in August, September, and December, is that these metabolites from the turinabol were in his system from years ago and they could still be there for years and then all of a sudden he tests positive and then it’s brought to the forefront – Devil’s advocate, you would have to be f*cking stupid to continue microdosing – then all of a sudden, voila, the next time he gets tested it is out of his system. I don’t know. I’m not saying that is the reality, I’m just saying that is the first thing that I thought and I’d be lying if I didn’t say so. . .
“That was the narrative going into this fight: ‘Listen, this is remnants, it was leftover from whenever it was.’ But the point of the matter is that Jeff Novitzky was saying, everyone was saying this could be in his system for a long, long time and then , lo and behold, he tests clean.”
The skepticism comes not only from Jones’ prior failed tests, but due to “abnormalities” that would appear in tests between October and December, where USADA would find picograms of turinabol in Jones’ system. Those tests would cause the Nevada Athletic Commission to hold off on licensing Jones to fight and forcing the entire card to move from Las Vegas to Los Angeles.
“I’m glad he tested clean, I really am,” said Bisping. “I hope he continues to do so. He’s a great talent, he’s a great fighter, and I’m glad Jon Jones is back. I’m glad anytime fighters come back.
“I hope he stays clean. I don’t hope he passes his tests and gets away with it. I hope he stays clean. They’re two very different things. I don’t hope he gets away with it. I hope he’s competing on a level playing field and we get to see the best Jon Jones that we can.”
Initial Report: MMA Fighting