It feels like we’ve been waiting for the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) to hand Jon Jones a punishment for his 2016 failed drug test forever. At this point, we all just want to know what the future holds for the MMA great, one way or another.
From the sounds of it, we’ll probably know soon. According to Jones’ manager Malki Kawa, who appeared on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on ESPN on Monday, USADA’s decision is coming soon — perhaps as early as the end of this month.
“I’m very confident we will have a decision on this thing by the end of this month,” Kawa said. “They’re pushing hard. I know everyone involved is working hard to come to a resolution. I know that the UFC is anxiously waiting and we’re dealing with USADA on a daily basis. They’ve been really good with us as far as really investigating this thing and looking at it from a lot of different angles and stuff.”
“To me this program should not try to punish guys that they know aren’t trying to cheat,” Kawa explained. “To them, the right thing could be he’s innocent but he’s still going to have suspension because he was negligent. So, you can get punished for being negligent, you can get punished for cheating. We’ll see what they come up with this time.
“I’m hoping he gets cleared in the next month or so and that the opportunity to fight presents itself. If it’s next year, early next year or whatever it is, I’m confident.”
Jones himself seems to share Kawa’s optimism. In a recent Twitter post, the former champ suggested there could be many more fights in his future, provided things shake out in a favorable way.
https://twitter.com/JonnyBones/status/1016360309198610433
“Just keep in mind that life is a journey and not a race,” Jones said in a Monday Tweet. “If it’s in God’s will for me to still be here and healthy, please believe that they’ll be many more fights to come. Let’s not forget I’m still the youngest guy in the top 5 at HW & LHW.”
When do you think we’ll see Jon Jones back in the cage?
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 7/9/2018.