What’s next for Jon Jones?

The tears flowed down his cheeks, a steady stream of raw emotions from hurt to disappointment to disbelief.

Jon “Bones” Jones prides himself on being a warrior, a fearless mixed martial arts champion. But Friday morning, he cried like a child, realizing his reputation and career may have been damaged beyond repair.

In a stunning development, Jones was removed from the main event of UFC 200, Saturday night’s milestone MMA card, after being notified by USADA of a potential anti-doping violation discovered from a test administered on June 16.

Jones, who was scheduled to challenge Daniel Cormier for the UFC light heavyweight championship, denied intentionally taking an illegal substance and is having a B sample tested. But the UFC said because there is “insufficient time for a full review,” Jones vs. Cormier 2 was removed from Saturday’s lineup.

“I haven’t really cried about the situation,” Jones said during a hastily arranged press conference Thursday morning at the MGM Grand. “I guess I needed to get that out.”

Jones couldn’t hold back the tears, and at one point briefly left the press conference before returning. A native of Ithaca, NY, who trains in Albuquerque, NM, he was looking to regain the UFC light heavyweight championship now held by Cormier. Jones had been the dominant figure in the division until a series of personal issues caused him to be suspended and lose his title in 2015. He tested positive for cocaine in January 2015, and in April 2015 he was involved in a hit-and-run accident in Albuquerque and sentenced to 18 months of probation.

During his absence, Cormier won the title and was looking to validate his championship by handing Jones his first loss in the Octagon. The two fought in January 2015, when Jones defended the title with a win by unanimous decision. Now Saturday’s main event will feature WWE star Brock Lesnar making his return to the UFC by fighting Mark Hunt.

“The whole situation really sucks,” Jones said. “It really hurts a lot. Supposedly they found something in one of the samples. I have no clue what it is. I’ve been taking the same supplements for the majority of my career, and I’ve been so outspoken about being against any performance enhancers. Being labeled as someone who would cheat hurts me more than anything else I’ve ever been through.”

While proclaiming his innocence, a tearful Jones apologized to just about everyone in Las Vegas –including Cormier, a rival he has taunted mercilessly in the past.

“I want to first start by apologizing to all the fans who came out to support me for UFC 200,” he said. “Obviously, [I apologize] to the UFC for not being able to perform. I know there’s been a lot going into this event. I want to apologize to Daniel Cormier. I know this fight meant a lot to him. The fight meant a lot to me and the fight’s not happening.”

UFC president Dana White called the developments “devastating to Cormier,” and was scrambling trying to find a last-minute opponent so the UFC champ could earn a paycheck. But White also tried not to rush to judgment on Jones.

“He’s got the chance to prove himself innocent before being judged guilty,” White said. “But if it’s true, it’s super disappointing.”

Cormier looked almost as shattered as did Jones.

“I’m very disappointed,” Cormier said. “I worked really hard to prepare for this. I put myself in position to win this fight and to hear something like this is very sad from a competitive standpoint and a financial standpoint. There’s a number of ways this is disappointing. I don’t really know how to explain what I’m feeling right now.”

Lesnar called Jones “unprofessional,” adding: “It’s DC who gets the short end of the stick.”

Jones could face a two-year suspension.

“This won’t break me,” he said. “I believe something really good is going to happen. If I’m out for two years, maybe it’s something that can help my development as a person. I’m upset but I’m thanking God in advance because something is going to come out of this.”

Category: Mixed Martial Arts