Jon Jones is following suit with Conor McGregor by returning to the UFC anti-doping program. Jones and McGregor took steps to end their hiatuses after publicly expressing interest in fighting on next year’s proposed card at the White House.
Jones reappeared on the UFC Anti-Doping website, submitting his third sample this year. Active testing is the first step for UFC fighters hoping to book a fight.
UFC fighters are pulled from the drug testing pool after retiring, no matter how brief. Fighters are expected to undergo six months of testing before being allowed to compete, though UFC could theoretically waive it.
UFC CEO Dana White announced Jones’ retirement on June 21, stripping him of the UFC heavyweight title and upgrading Tom Aspinall from interim to undisputed champion. Jones’ return to the testing pool so soon after retiring further fuels the narrative that he ducked Aspinall, his rightful next challenger. Aspinall makes his first undisputed heavyweight title defense against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 on Oct. 25.
White publicly stated that he can’t trust Jones enough to put him on the White House card.
“I just can’t risk putting him in big positions in a big spot and have something go wrong, especially the White House card,” White said at the UFC 318 post-fight press conference.
“I heard the comments made at last night’s press conference,” Jones replied on Twitter. “While I was a little disappointed, I’m still in the UFC’s drug testing pool, staying sharp, and continuing to train like a professional. I’ll be ready for whatever comes next.”
Last month, UFC confirmed plans to host an event on White House grounds in celebration of the United States’ 250th birthday. President Donald Trump publicly proposed the idea. McGregor, who hasn’t fought since July 2021, returned to the testing pool last week with intentions of landing a spot on that card.
