Jon Jones might be a free man come late October, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll headline UFC 230 in November.
UFC president Dana White told ESPN Wednesday night that Jones is not targeted to compete on November’s pay-per-view card, which does not yet have a main event.
I told Dana White the obvious assumption everyone is making is Jon Jones will headline MSG on 11/3. He replied, “not true.”
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) September 20, 2018
Comment from Dana White on Jon Jones: pic.twitter.com/WQXET01jYy
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) September 20, 2018
“The arbitrator found that Jones never intentionally or knowingly took steroids and the result of the positive test was the result of a contaminated substance,” White wrote. “The science completely supports that finding. The science doesn’t lie so I look forward to getting him back early next year.”
ESPN’s Ariel Helwani also reported that Jones is not expected to fight at UFC 230.
Jon Jones isn’t scheduled and currently isn’t in the plans to compete on the Nov. 3 card at MSG, according to multiple sources.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) September 20, 2018
Following a year-plus-long process, including arbitration, Jones received his official suspension Wednesday — 15 months, down significantly from a potential maximum four-year suspension. The former UFC light heavyweight champion is eligible to return to action Oct. 28.
Jones failed a drug test in relation to his UFC 214 rematch against Daniel Cormier in July 2017. He tested positive for the steroid Turinabol, but arbitrators determined that Jones did not knowingly use the banned substance. They determined that Jones’ positive drug test was the result of a contaminated supplement, but did not actually find where the banned substance came from.
UFC 230 takes place Nov. 3 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
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