LOS ANGELES (REUTERS) - The UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) stripped Jon Jones of the light heavyweight championship title on Wednesday following his positive drug test and reinstated Daniel Cormier as the champion.

Jones tested positive for a steroid prior to his July 29 title fight against Cormier, which he won in a third-round technical knockout.

The second sample from Jones' failed test also came back positive on Tuesday and the Cormier fight was subsequently ruled a "no contest" by the California State Athletic Commission.

Jones, 30, was previously banned for a year after failing a doping test in the run-up to a scheduled title fight against Cormier in July 2016, which subsequently fell through as a result.

He was originally stripped of the title in 2015 following a hit-and-run incident.

As a repeat offender, he faces a suspension of up to four years.