Following the news of the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s (USADA) changes to its UFC anti-doping policy, there is a question Jon Jones wants the world to answer.
Jon Jones’s run-ins with USADA have been no secret. Because of them, combined with other personal issues, he has been the object of relentless criticism. Through it all, Jones has maintained his innocence and has vowed that he would someday be vindicated through science and future precedents to affirm that pinch-of-salt traces of a banned substance are an anomaly of drug testing that neither enhances athletic performance nor demonstrates guilt of the athlete.
Since then, other UFC athletes have felt the residual impacts of the “trace effect,” if you will, prompting USADA to finally take action and change its procedure for abnormal drug test results prompted by traces of contaminated supplements. UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell credits Jon Jones for being the impetus to explore a deeper dive into the science behind the test results:
“Jon Jones was a moment where we all sat down and said, ‘We need to take a look at what the science is, as it pertains to the prohibited list,'” Campbell told ESPN. “And I want to give Jon some credit because he took criticism like no one else has during that case, but everything that occurred in that case turned out to be true and helped result in where the policy is today.”
And shortly after the changes were announced, Jon Jones spoke up for himself, posing a question to all of his accusers:
“With not one but two biological brothers being Super Bowl champions, could it be possible that maybe I’m just a God gifted artist with a solid work ethic!? ??‍♂️” Jones posted on Instagram.
How would you answer Jon Jones’s question in light of the recent changes to USADA’s UFC anti-doping policy?