Jon Jones Stripped of UFC Record Second Championship Belt

Jon Jones is now the first fighter in UFC history to lose both a championship and an interim championship without ever actually losing a fight. Jones was stripped of his interim light heavyweight belt on Wednesday in the wake of the USADA decision to uphold a 1-year suspension for failed drug test over the summer.

The good news is that Jones suspension was originally going to be two years. Now it’s retroactive to July and he’ll be eligible to fight again next summer. Considering Jones has fought just three times in the last three-plus years, that’s not even that long of a layoff. Heck, bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz has only fought 3 times since 2011. It’s like Jones is just taking a little break. The fact that the UFC has stripped him of a belt for the second time is merely a footnote since it was a made-up championship belt and he never even really lost the real one.

Then there’s the matter of what caused Jones’ failed drug test – a tainted sexual enhancement pill. It’s amazing how many athletes continue to put things in their body without knowing what they contain, isn’t it? (It runs in the family.) If you think Jones is upset with the 1-year suspension, look no further than his Twitter avatar – himself, Crying Jordan’d.

Hey, if you can’t have a sense of humor about your latest failure, who can? Besides, he’s just a few short months away from returning to the UFC and making a lot of money. No matter how much he’s lost during his string of eff-ups. Dana White claims that Jones could have lost out on $15-20 million. That’s Conor McGregor money. It could have been Jon Jones money, but that ship has sailed.

There’s plenty of time to right that metaphorical ship, but based on Jones’ past, that’s unlikely. And that is Jon Jones’ new legacy.