Perhaps the only reason for not considering Jon Jones the greatest MMA fighter of all time is his history of repeated anti-doping violations and failed drug tests involving performance-enhancing substances and banned blockers during his UFC career. While the former two-division champion has maintained his innocence, his opponents and fans have continued to thrash the MMA great, accusing him of knowingly using PEDs. But now, ‘Bones’ has once again pushed back against those allegations, claiming that the positive results were a consequence of tainted supplements.

In a recent interview with ALF Global, Jones once again addressed and rejected the allegations, pointing out that it took expensive scientific testing to identify the adverse substances that came from the supplements he was using at the time.

“I guess people want to say, ‘Jon took steroids.’ Never took steroids, never took steroids,” Jones said. “It was a supplement found in my body. It was proven to come from a supplement company that I was using. It was a tainted supplement that I was using. The amount of this substance that was in my body was so small that it took very expensive scientists to be able to even find it, and the supplement that was found in my body has zero performance-enhancing effects–zero! And that’s very well documented.

“For some reason, the fans, they ignore all that, and they’re like, ‘Something about steroids, he’s guilty.’ I never did, and that was proven. It’s funny because fighters are like, ‘Jon Jones is a knucklehead, but he’s brilliant enough to do steroids and trick the UFC’s scientists.’ It’s like, which one is it? Am I the knucklehead or the mad genius who somehow got away with using steroids?”

Although Jon Jones did not reveal which expensive scientists actually examined his cases during the period of his alleged steroid use, one name has consistently appeared in reports surrounding his positive tests. That name is Dr. Daniel Eichner, who is the head scientist and researcher at the Utah anti-doping laboratory. He has been involved in examining Jones’ three positive tests— especially his 2017 positive test for anabolic steroid turinabol—throughout his career, alongside the UFC’s drug-testing official Jeff Novitzky, who is not a scientist.

In 2016, ‘Bones’ tested positive for the estrogen blockers clomiphene and letrozole ahead of his fight against Daniel Cormier at UFC 200, leading to a one-year suspension that required him to appear at an arbitration hearing. Dr. Eichner attended the former champion’s hearing alongside Novitzky, who provided evidence to USADA.

As per reports, the arbitration panel ultimately accepted that Jones’ positive test stemmed from a contaminated supplement, which he revealed was a s—al-enhancement pill and not directly using PEDs. As a result, the UFC star only ended up receiving a one-year suspension for “negligence.” Following that incident, Jones became embroiled in another major controversy.

After knocking out his bitter rival Daniel Cormier at UFC 214 in Anaheim, California, Jones celebrated his victory in style. But the triumph was soon overshadowed when he tested positive for Turinabol. As a result, Jones’ victory over Cormier was overturned to a no contest, and the UFC stripped him of his light heavyweight title.

Jone Jones’ team also hired Paul Scott, who runs Anti-Doping Research and famously assisted Anderson Silva as an expert witness after the Brazilian tested positive for banned substances. According to reports, Scott argued that Jones’ positive Turinabol test could have resulted from a tainted supplement just like the past instance.

To determine whether that was indeed the case, Jones’ head attorney Howard Jacobs revealed that 15 supplements used by Jones were examined, including massage creams. However, reports stated that none of the products tested positive for the banned substance detected in Jones’ system.

Shedding further light on the matter, Dr. Eichner testified before the California State Athletic Commission that it was “impossible to make a determination” that Jones’ positive test resulted from a contaminated supplement, adding that his laboratory had never encountered a tainted supplement containing Turinabol. Yet, he also raised the possibility that other supplements could, in fact, be contaminated with the banned substance.

As a result of testing positive for Turinabol, Jon Jones faced a lengthy 15-month suspension. It is likely that he is referring to this instance in his explanation.

Regardless, after serving his suspension, ‘Bones’ returned to face Alexander Gustafsson in a rematch at UFC 232 and once again found himself at the center of controversy after testing positive for the same substance. This time, however, the circumstances were slightly different. 

According to reports, the former champion reportedly had trace “pulsing” amounts of Turinabol metabolites in his system, with Dr. Eichner writing in a letter that there was no evidence Jones had re-administered a prohibited substance. Because of that, the UFC proceeded with the fight as scheduled despite the controversy.

Now, when it comes to tainted supplements triggering positive drug tests, Jon Jones is not alone. Fellow UFC legend Anderson Silva also found himself in a similar situation during his career.

Like Jon Jones, Anderson Silva also denied deliberately using performance-enhancing drugs

After his fight against Nick Diaz at UFC 183 in 2015, the former middleweight champion, Anderson Silva, became embroiled in a major controversy after testing positive for multiple banned substances.

Silva tested positive for drostanolone and androstane, both regarded as anabolic substances or performance enhancers. Reports also stated that the Brazilian legend had the anti-anxiety medications oxazepam and temazepam in his system. As a result, the Nevada Athletic Commission suspended ‘The Spider’ for one year and overturned his unanimous-decision victory over Diaz to a no-contest.

Following the violation, Anderson Silva appeared before the NAC to testify. During the hearing, the former middleweight champion echoed a similar statement to that of Jon Jones, claiming that he had consumed a s—al-enhancement medication and other contaminated supplements that resulted in the presence of anabolic substances in his system, while denying deliberately using any performance-enhancing drugs.

Even so, the UFC legend once again faced scrutiny after failing an out-of-competition drug test in 2017, with the sample collected by USADA. The case ultimately resulted in another one-year suspension.

Regardless, with Jon Jones once again refuting allegations surrounding his positive drug tests, it will be interesting to see whether any experts come forward to dispute his side of the story.