USADA will no longer be responsible for drug testing UFC fighters starting in January 2024. And in unrelated news, Jon Jones has been injured during training and has been forced to pull out of his upcoming heavyweight title defense in December against Stipe Miocic. The former heavyweight champion and the man most consider the GOAT of the UFC’s heavyweight division was scheduled to fight Jones at UFC 296 in the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York.
However, this fight will now be delayed until 2024, when the anti-doping body will no longer be with the promotion. Jones has a record of testing positive for banned substances, and anecdotes such as him hiding in his gym to avoid giving a sample to USADA officials abound. This is why many are quick to cast doubt on his injury and think this is a ploy to get the fight scheduled for after the USADA and UFC split. UFC boss Dana White, however, laid such speculations to rest and confirmed Jones had torn the tendon that connects to his pectoral muscle off the bone. The heavyweight champion will need surgery and has been ruled out for the next eight months. However, with his characteristic sense of humor and a keen eye for the nuances of martial arts, Conor McGregor managed to find a silver lining in this gloomy news.
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Conor McGregor’s first reaction to Jones injury footage
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MMAUncensored tweeted a video of Jones getting injured while training for the Miocic bout. Conor McGregor, in a now-deleted reply, marveled at his martial arts prowess. He praised Jones’s strike and takedown attempt, which ultimately led to the injury as Jones tried to get his sparring partner off balance.
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Lovely shot and change of direction tho,” the former two-division champion wrote. Dana White confirmed that Jones had been injured and would be out for eight months after undergoing surgery on his tendon. What do you think about McGregor’s reaction to Jon Jones’ injury? Let us know in the comments section below.
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