MMA: UFC's Jon Jones facing longer doping suspension

MMA artist Jon Jones at a news conference to address being pulled from his light heavyweight title fight at UFC 200 due to a potential violation of the UFC's anti-doping policy on July 7. PHOTO: AFP

Las Vegas (Reuters) - The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) extended a temporary suspension for Jon Jones on Monday (July 18) and revealed two banned substances the UFC fighter tested positive for, according to ESPN.

Jones, who was pulled from a light heavyweight title fight against Daniel Cormier days before UFC 200 earlier this month, tested positive for clomiphene and traces of letrozole in an out-of-competition sample provided on June 16, the report said.

Clomiphene is listed as an anti-estrogenic substance on the banned list and letrozole is an aromatase inhibitor.

The Nevada district attorney's office informed the NSAC of a potential hearing date around September of October, ESPN said.

An NSAC spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

Jones, 28, is facing a two-year ban under the policies of Ultimate Fighting Championship's drug program and the United States Anti-Doping Agency, which was responsible for the June 16 test, but is also subject to the NSAC's jurisdiction.

Jones (22-1) previously denied taking any banned substances. "Being labelled as someone who would cheat hurts more than anything else I've ever been through in my career," Jones told a news conference in Las Vegas earlier this month.

Another doping controversy surrounds the bout that replaced the Jones-Cormier clash as main event at UFC 200 following Jones's temporary suspension.

Former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, who beat Mark Hunt by unanimous decision in the July 9 clash in the Las Vegas octagon, was flagged last week by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) for a possible doping violation.

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