The MMA fighter was pulled from UFC 200 just 48 hours before he was due in the octagon afternews broke he had failed a drug test on June 16.
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It’s a gutsy move, but Silva said he had no hesitation calling UFC President Dana White after Jones was removed from the card and asking for his spot.
Jones, who has been no stranger to controversy in his career, was scheduled to meet long-time rival Daniel Cormier in a title unification bout in the main event of UFC 200 but he has since been replaced by former middleweight champion Anderson Silva in a non-title fight against Cormier. “I haven’t [talked to him] and I’m not gonna”.
On Thursday, Jones denied knowingly taking a banned substance, but did note that he did not chart all of the supplements he took during training camp. “There’s nothing for us to talk about”. “I truly believe that”, White said. You’re 28 years old, and you’re probably the greatest talent to ever step foot in this sport, right?
Ranked as the #8 pound for pound fighter in the UFC, Cormier has been UFC Light Heavyweight Champion since previous year, when he won the belt at UFC 185 against Anthony Johnson.
“[Gegard] Mousasi stepped up and said he wants the fight, Dan Henderson called me and said he wanted to fight, Anderson Silva called me and said he wanted to fight, and each guy had a different set of problems”, White told ESPN.
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However, nearly ruining the biggest card in UFC history appears to be the final straw for White, who spoke to Jonathan Coachman ahead of the “just for show” UFC 200 weigh-ins on Friday night. “Give me a break…Jon should have cleaned house a long time ago”.
