Could this test prove Jon Jones’ innocence?

Love him or hate him, Jon Jones is one of the best fighters who has ever lived- maybe the best. For many, that qualification hinges on the question of whether or not he has been doping. The saga of Jon Jones’s indiscretions is long and well-recorded.

It began with Jones crashing his Bentley several years ago, and soon after testing positive for cocaine. While bad for his public image, these events did not greatly affect his career. Then in 2015 after a historic title defense against Daniel Cormier, Jones performed a hit and run on a pregnant woman in Albuquerque New Mexico, which resulted in him being stripped of the belt.

In his absence, Cormier won the belt and a rematch was booked for UFC 200. However, days before the event it was revealed that Jones tested positive for two estrogen blockers, Letrozol and clomiphene, and he was pulled from the fight. Jones received a short suspension after USADA deemed that the drugs had been taken unintentionally via an off-brand Cialis.

When Jones finally made it back, he defeated Cormier with a third round head-kick, but days after it was revealed he tested positive for Turinabol, an Eastern European anabolic. Jones has maintained his innocence while being stripped of the belt, though he has declined to offer a specific explanation. Cormier is set to defend the belt this Saturday at UFC 222, but it seems Jones is making progress of his own.

According to MMAFighing, Jones has taken and passed a polygraph test:

“The test was conducted by the PGP Polygraph & Interviewing Service in Albuquerque, N.M. on Dec 7, sources say. Neither the UFC nor the United States Anti-Doping Agency asked Jones to take the test.”

The purpose of this test is unclear. Polygraph evidence is not well-regarded in legal courts, but Jones will be tried by a USADA commission. As we all know, Jones values his public image highly, and perhaps this was an attempt of the former champion to convince all of us that he did not intentionally cheat.

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