Jon Jones still had a long-term steroid metabolite in his system as of early January.
The UFC light heavyweight champion had ultra trace amounts of the steroid oral Turinabol (4-chloro-18-nor-17β-hydroxymethyl,17α-methyl-5α-androst-13-en-3α-ol (M3) or DHCMT) in drug-test results stemming from samples collected Jan. 6 and Jan. 7, the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) confirmed with MMA Fighting on Friday.
These results were first mentioned Tuesday at Jones’ Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) licensing hearing. The drug tests were administered by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency (VADA) and reported to CSAC. The results came back Monday, according to CSAC executive officer Andy Foster, and the NAC had them in time for the Tuesday hearing.
At that hearing, Jones was granted a conditional, one-fight license to defend his title against Anthony Smith at UFC 235 on March 2 in Las Vegas. As part of that licensing, Jones will have to be drug tested at least twice monthly by the Nevada commission, in addition to continuing testing done by VADA and USADA, the UFC’s anti-doping partner.
Foster made it clear Friday that the Jan. 6 and 7 results do not constitute a new doping violation. As has been the case with previous trace amounts of the M3 metabolite of DHCMT found in Jones’ system, scientists have testified that this is likely the same long-term metabolite that Jones was already suspended 15 months for after a July 2017 positive drug test.
Like in those previous abnormal results, there were no parent compounds or short- or medium-term metabolites found in Jones — just the long-term M3 metabolite, which Dr. Daniel Eichner, the lab director at WADA-accredited SMRTL in Salt Lake City, testified Tuesday does not likely give Jones any performance-enhancing benefits. Eichner has also stated in a public hearing and in written statements that there is no evidence Jones re-administered a prohibited substance going back to that July 2017 positive.
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Jon Jones abnormal drug-test results continue into January, no new doping violation filed