UFC 232, originally scheduled to take place in Las Vegas on Saturday, has been moved to The Forum in Inglewood, CA after a drug-testing abnormality involving Jon Jones.
Earlier in the month, Jones tested positive for a trace amount of Chlorodehydromethyltestosterone (DHCMT), or turinabol. The substance is the same that Jones tested positive for in 2017. This resulted in a 15-month suspension and his victory over Daniel Cormier for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship at UFC 214 in Anaheim, CA on July 29th, 2017 being overturned by the California State Athletic Commission. Jones’ license was later revoked by the CSAC earlier this year in February.
Although the abnormality of Jones’ test did not violate any anti-doping policies, the Nevada State Athletic Commission would not license Jones to fight Alexander Gustafsson for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission issued the following statement:
Today, Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) Executive Director Bob Bennett announced that, in consultation with NSAC Commission Chair Anthony Marnell, III, unarmed combatant Jon Jones will be allowed to withdraw his pending application for licensure, which was intended to clear him to fight in a major contest in Nevada later this month.
After extensive analysis of Mr. Jones’ prior 18 months of USADA in- and out-of-competition anti-doping drug testing results, Director Bennett, Chair Marnell, and Mr. Jones agree that he will appear at an evidentiary hearing in January. This will allow for a measured, thoughtful, and comprehensive discussion of his anti-doping testing protocol and results and provide an opportunity for the NSAC to determine the appropriate path forward for him in Nevada. We look forward to his hearing.
On December 11th, 2018, the California State Athletic Commission unanimously voted to reinstate Jones’ license. With Jones already licensed in California, the UFC decided to move UFC 232 to The Forum in Inglewood, CA. The news of the move comes just 11 days after the UFC canceled their scheduled January event, UFC 233, in Anaheim, CA.
Tickets for UFC 232 in Inglewood, CA on Saturday go on sale this Wednesday.
Fans who purchased tickets for UFC 232 in Las Vegas will be granted refunds
Along with the championship rematch between Jones vs. Gustafsson, UFC 232 will also feature a bout between UFC Women’s Featherweight Champion Cris Cyborg defending her title against UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion, Amanda Nunes.
UFC 232: Jones vs. Gustafsson 2 will feature the following fights:
Main Card (Airing live on Pay-Per-View)
UFC Light Heavyweight Championship Bout
Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson
UFC Women’s Featherweight Championship Bout
Cris Cyborg (c0 vs. Amanda Nunes
Carlos Condit vs. Michael Chiesa
Ilir Latifi vs. Corey Anderson
Chad Mendes vs. Alexander Volkanovski
Prelims (Airing live on Fox Sports 1)
Andrei Arlovski vs. Walt Harris
Cat Zingano vs. Megan Anderson
Douglas Silva de Andrade vs. Petr Yan
B.J. Penn vs. Ryan Hall
Early Prelims (Streaming live on UFC Fight Pass)
Andre Ewell vs. Nathaniel Wood
Uriah Hall vs. Bevon Lewis
Curtis Millender vs. Siyar Bahadurzada
Brian Kelleher vs. Montel Jackson
Stay tuned to SoCalUncensored.com for news and updates.
