Daniel Cormier on Jon Jones’ latest drug test failure: ‘It’s a death sentence’

The saga involving Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier was seemingly buried forever after UFC 214. As you probably know by now, that is not the case. At all. After Jones tested positive for anabolic steroid turinabol in an in-competition test for the fight, everything was thrown into disarray.

Yesterday, the California State Athletic Commission formally changed the fight to a No Contest after Jones’ B-sample tested positive as well. As a result of that, the UFC issued a statement saying that the light heavyweight title would be given back to Cormier.

On UFC Tonight, Cormier offered his take on things. As expected, he’s pretty messed up about the whole thing:

“I think it’s crazy. It’s one of the craziest things.”

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“USADA is being very straight line, saying due process. But the reality is you can’t fail a drug test. You can pass a hundred tests. You cannot fail one. And they’re saying we have to wait for the due process, but what are we waiting for?

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“You cannot test positive for performance-enhancing drugs. It’s unfair. I’m very upset about it.”

Jones could face a wide range of consequences for his actions, including up to a four-year ban from the sport for a second USADA offense. Cormier isn’t willing to give Jones any leeway this time around:

“He has to fight this. This is a death sentence. If this does what it says it can be, it’s a death sentence.”

“This is a very expensive drug, something that could not be easily found in a supplement. I’ve been in the USADA program for 12 years. I’ve never had these issues. If it was a mistake the first time, you’ve got to be more careful. Especially with all the scrutiny that was on him coming back from a suspension, you’ve got to be cautious and careful. To expect people to understand anymore is just ridiculous.”