Earlier this week, the news came from the Jon Jones camp that he may be back inside the Octagon before the end of 2018, putting an end to his provisional suspension being served for a positive drug test.
But that didn’t sit well with some of his haters, who went on social media to lambast the former light heavyweight champion. Jones has never been one to pull punches. Even if they are figurative and in the form of tweets.
After a brief period of silence, the former UFC light heavyweight champion wrote a pointed message Friday on Twitter directed at those who don’t wish him well.
Jones wrote on Twitter:
“Let me talk to my haters, blame my greatness on things you simply will never understand. Hard work. Passion. Suck one.”
Let me talk to my haters. Blame my greatness on things you simply will never understand. Hard work. Passion. Suck one
— Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) February 16, 2018
Jones, was tested positive for a banned steroid in a drug test in relation to his UFC 214 fight with Daniel Cormier last July. Jones won the title fight by third-round TKO, but the result was overturned by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) when the failed drug test was confirmed and made a no contest. The UFC stripped Jones of the light heavyweight belt thereafter and gave it back to Cormier.
In a recent interview, Jones’ manager says it would be an “outrage” for him to be suspended any longer:
“In my mind, he’s innocent – I know it for a fact,” Kawa told MMAjunkie Radio. “So for me, there’s no way in the world these guys are going to punish him. I just don’t see how they do it. It would be an outrage to me if they suspended him longer.”
Kawa said he’s “95 percent” sure Jones will fight in 2018 and predicted his return would be big business, generating between 750,000 and 800,000 pay-per-view buys.
He also gave a timeline for the two hearings Jon Jones needs to navigate, USADA and the California State Athletic Commission, or CSAC.
“I’m expecting that USADA is also wrapped up (by that time),” Kawa said. “If it’s not wrapped up, I’m not sure if we push the (CSAC) hearing to March, or we still have the hearing and wait on USADA. From what I’m understanding, what USADA would like to do and we would like to do, is we’d like to have it all wrapped up by the CSAC hearing.”
“Looking at the information they have, from what they’ve gathered, from what they told me, it doesn’t make any sense,” Kawa said. “No one understands it. You passed this test, then you failed this test that you knew was coming, and then you passed one after that. And it was such a small amount that, it came from somewhere that we just don’t know where, and it was such a small amount that it’s obvious he wasn’t trying to cheat.
“So what USADA is looking at is, how do we move forward with this? To me, it’s very simple. He’s not guilty. You’re supposed to test guys to keep the sport clean. Did it give him an advantage? The answer is no. USADA will tell you this, and the UFC will tell you this.”
Jones will go before CSAC on Feb. 27, at his doping hearing. He is facing a four-year suspension in the USADA case as a second-time offender.
Jones has denied knowingly taking performance-enhancing drugs. He also native passed a polygraph test last month in an attempt to prove he is telling the truth.
Well, we’ll find out when phase one begins Feb. 27. Good Luck Jones!
