Breaking News: Jon Jones is back in UFC

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It was first broken by Ariel Helwani on Twitter that the USADA was to make a decision on the future of UFC star Jon Jones. After he tested positive to Turinabol during his pre-fight screening prior, Jones’ victory against Daniel Cormier was overturned in 2017. Sources close to Helwani reportedly stated that optimism was high regarding the decision by USADA, and that Jones could potentially be back in the octagon as soon as the end of 2018.

It has now been confirmed that Jon Jones, a former light heavyweight champion, has been cleared by the USADA to return to the octagon. He has been given a 15-month retroactive sentence, meaning he is free to compete as of October 28th, 2018. There have been rumors floating around recently that Jones could be headlining events as soon as UFC 230, with both Daniel Cormier and Alexander Gustafsson touted as potential opponents.

Jones has a bit of red tape to clear first before fighting though, as the California State Athletic Commission revoked his license after his second failed test, as well as fining the former champion $205,000. Assuming that he is able to do so, we could be seeing “Bones” in the octagon a lot sooner than we originally thought. This would also open the door for potential fights against both Cormier and Brock Lesnar before the gloves would be hung up.

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This explains why Jon Jones and his manager, Malki Kawa, were spotted at UFC headquarters over the previous weekend. While the management of Jones will not comment on the decision, per Helwani, it is believed that this impending decision was the reason for the visit.

UFC 230 is scheduled for November 3rd, 2018 out of Madison Square Garden. In theory, this allows for Jones to compete at the event. Whether it will happen is yet to be seen.

Picture credit – UFC