Up until today, the plan has been for UFC 232 to take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, On Saturday, December 29th, 2018. Per Dana White and Jeff Novitzky, the fight card will now be held at The Forum in Inglewood, California. That’s right. On one week’s notice, one of the largest fight cards of 2018 is changing venues. The reason for this is about as complicated as you might expect.
Earlier this week, a urine sample that was collected from Jon Jones on December 9th, tested positive for the same substance he was most-recently suspended for.
Typically, a positive test will garner a temporary suspension for fighters while an investigation takes place. However, given the relatively unknown nature of the substance Jones tested positive for, many experts have reason to believe that the positive test comes from the same incident that Jones has already been sanctioned for by USADA.
To be clear, this substance has been identified as a residual effect from the July 2017 positive test. Because of this, the test results do not count as a new USADA violation.
Not only is this a PR nightmare for the UFC, but the last minute change of venue will also come with significant financial costs to fans and the UFC alike.
Although many experts agree that this is not Jon Jones’ fault, the saga of his career continues to be a culmination of headaches.
Stay tuned.
Main Photo: American UFC heavyweight champion Jon ‘Bones’ Jones gestures outside SiriusXM Studios on August 07, 2017 in New York City. (Photo courtesy of Brazil Photo Press)
