UFC legend Jon Jones claims he feels vindicated after years of being labelled a 'steroid cheat', following the United States Anti-Doping Agency's rule change on the threshold levels for certain drugs that result in a test being flagged.
The American is preparing for a huge clash with Ciryl Gane for the UFC's vacant heavyweight title, in what will be his first bout inside the octagon in three years.
And in the lead-up to the bout, Jones reflected on his previous suspensions by USADA, after changes made by the anti-doping agency meant that he wouldn't have been charged in the first place.
He was originally sidelined for 15 months by USADA in 2017, following test results that showed trace amounts of oral turinabol — an anabolic steroid — in his system.
However, based on new thresholds set in 2019 regarding the levels of oral turinabol that can be detected in the system, Jones' previous test would not have flagged up.
Speaking at the UFC's pre-fight press conference, Jones said: 'USADA has changed some of the rules regarding picogram levels and what's allowed, and I've come to find out that all my findings were under the new legal limit, meaning I would have been cleared from every test I've ever taken. That means a lot to me.
'I'm grateful to be the athlete who fought the system, who could afford the lawyers and the scientists to prove my innocence. I don't know if I carried the cross or took the bullet for the rest of all the young athletes, but I was the first to have to go through it.
'People considered me a cheater. Now, if that same rule would have applied back then, it would have never even made the media. It would have never been a deal at all. My win over Daniel Cormier would not be a no contest. It would be a knockout. A KO victory.'
Jones emerged triumphant over long-term rival Cormier when the two faced off in a bout for the light heavyweight title in 2017 before the victory was overturned due to the positive test result.
He had originally won via a brutal KO in the third-round before the result was later changed to a no-contest.
'I'm hoping that with these rule changes maybe we can go back and make that no-contest a win. That would mean a lot to me,' Jones continued.
'I took the bullet for this sport, for Major League Baseball, and I'm glad that the fighters in the future get to avoid what I went through.
'It was hell being considered a steroid cheat, and I'm glad that people can see clearly now that I never was, and I feel set free.'
After a number of high profile incidents involving oral turinabol, particularly in Major League Baseball, Jones' case helped change how testing is done in both sports.
Jones hasn't stepped foot inside the octagon since his unanimous decision victory over Dominick Reyes in February 2020 but is preparing to return to the UFC for the huge clash on Saturday night.
The American will make a step up in weight division for the bout, moving from light heavyweight to heavyweight, and has undergone a pretty serious body transformation in order to do so.
Pictures of the new jacked-up Jones began circulating social media last night after official snaps from the UFC's pre-fight photo shoot were released.
The 35-year-old has ditched his toned torso for the highly-anticipated clash with Gane and looks considerably larger than he did for his last outing against Reyes.
