The big news many have us have been waiting for, and truthly, already knew the contents of, dropped like a bomb this week: Jon Jones? B Sample tested positive for turinabol.
Truthfully, this technically means nothing in the overall scheme of things as a B Sample is simply a separate container of the same sample taken, that is tested a second time. If all procedures were followed correctly the first time, and there was no contamination or errors, the A and B samples should yield identical results.
In the case of Jon Jones, they showed he tested positive for turinabol, an oral steroid which not only does the basics (i.e. provide a boost of strength and aids in recovery) but is also a PED that disappears out of the system very quickly. Apparently 50% of it within 5-6 hours, the rest, in less than 24 hours.
In speaking with Luke Bernardi, a nutritionist, strength coach, supplement store owner and specifically to this story, a knowledgeable party who knows a thing or two (or 100) about PED?s, my eyes were open to Jon Jones.
On many occasions, I have publicly admitted that I will give Jon the benefit of the doubt. There may be a screw up here. A mess up. A frame job. Something, but now, after talking with Bernardi, my opinion swayed over to the majority.
Then, the news dropped last night, and I don?t know why it hit me in a different way. A wave of, ?It?s over? dominated my mind set. It?s over, as in, I cannot see Jon coming back from this.
While he still must go through his ?due process?, I cannot see him winning this case. For his sake, and if he?s innocent, I hope he does prove it without a shadow of a doubt, but all right now, all signs are pointing to a four year suspension.
If you ask UFC Middleweight Champion Michael Bisping, he wants Jon completely banned from the sport. And ?The Count? is not the only one with that opinion.
For starters, Jon will likely be stripped of the title. Once the UFC takes it from his grasp, they will hand it over to the man he defeated: Daniel Cormier. Now whether DC accepts it gracefully by default or is currently having a party celebrating Jon Jones? error and what he deems is ?Bones?? stupidity is another story altogether.
What?s sickening and downright stupid in all of this is ?why?? Why Jon Jones? Why would he take anything to improve what he already had, which was a skillset leaps and bounds better than every fighter in his weight class. Heck, in all of MMA.
Then again, I have had so many whisper in my ear ?No Joe ? Jon got this way by using PED?s from day one?. He only became great in training and in the gym by being able to be a machine full of PED?s.
It?s a disgusting story with so many lines coming from the centre of the web. It has an ESPN 30 For 30 feel to it and I have no doubt production is already under way. How Jon can face his family is another thing. Forget the ?Fans?. It?s his wife, daughters, parents, etc that he must now face.
The ones (like the fans) he lied to and said he would never do anything like this again. Or perhaps they knew? They knew Jon was doing this stuff? It?s crazy to think that, but when it comes to Jon Jones, I do not know what to believe anymore.
I?m in a state of bewilderment thinking about how one fighter can be labelled as the greatest of all time, be on top of the MMA mountain and have his face on the figurative MMA Mount Rushmore, to what will now likely be a castoff. A cheater. Someone nobody wants to be affiliated with or hear about.
There is much more to this story, and I?m sure, over the coming days, weeks and months, we will hear more, but for now, there overall sentiment is a powerful disdain for Jon Jones and how he tried to fool us all.
Due process Joe ? I know. Give him his due process.