Jon Jones ban: UFC champion suspended for a year after taking contaminated sex pill for erectile dysfunction

Jones has been banned for a year, backdated to June, after he failed a drugs test before UFC 200

Jon Jones gave a tearful press conference to confirm his failed drug test in June (Getty)

UFC champion Jon Jones has been given a one-year ban following his failed drug test before UFC 200 after claiming he took a contaminated pill for erectile dysfunction.

The current UFC interim light heavyweight champion tested positive for two banned substances in June and was withdrawn from the UFC 200 card, with is planned opponent, Daniel Cormier, instead fighting Anderson Silva in a hastily arranged bout in Las Vegas.

After pleading his case to the United States Anti-Doping Agency [Usada], Jones was given a one-year ban, although it was backdated to June at the time of the failed test.

Jones said that he had hoped “for a better outcome”, but did admit he was “pleased” that Usada had said he was “not a cheater of the sport” due to the contaminated sex pill. Jones claimed that he had bought a pill on the internet called Tadalafil, and the Usada panel ruled that his explanation “crossed the threshold of probability”.

A statement from Usada stated that the pill "is not a prohibited substance but a legitimate erectile dysfunction medication", and added that its purpose is "to enhance sexual not sporting performance".

Jones’s absence from the UFC will cost him approximately $9m [£7.2m] and he referred to the tablet as “a d*** pill”, which was noted in the panel’s statement.

Jones was due to fight Daniel Cormier in a rematch at UFC 200 (Getty)

"He did not know that the tablet he took contained prohibited substances or that those substances had the capacity to enhance sporting performance," the statement read. "However by his imprudent use of what he pungently referred to as a 'd*** pill' he has not only lost a year of his career but an estimated nine million dollars."

Jones’s PR, Denise White, released a statement on behalf of the UFC champion, who looks set to be given another chance by the UFC once his ban expires.

Jones is the current interim light heavyweight champion (Getty)

"Although I was hopeful for a better outcome in the Usada ruling today, I am very respectful of the process in which they allowed me to defend myself,” it read. “I have always maintained my innocence and I am very happy I have been cleared in any wrong doing pursuant to the allegations made that I had intentionally taken a banned substance. I am pleased that in Usada's investigation they determined I was ‘not a cheater of the sport’.

“Being cleared of these allegations was very important to me. I have worked hard in and outside of the octagon to regain my image and my fighting career and will take these next eight months to continue my training and personal growth both as a man and a athlete. Thank you to all of my fans, teammates, coaches, sponsors and to the UFC for their continued support."