Everyone and anyone has formed an opinion about Jon Jones. The former UFC light heavyweight champion brought about widespread conversation after failing a drug test administered one day prior to his rematch with Daniel Cormier at UFC 214.
Jones is arguably the best fighter to ever step foot inside of the Octagon, so seeing him drop the ball yet again under United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) watch obviously comes with much debate. Some believe Jones knowingly took a banned substance before knocking “DC” out this past July, while others are holding out hope that Jones accidentally ingested another tainted supplement.
Former UFC champion and current combat aficionado Don Frye is the most recent figure within the mixed martial arts (MMA) community to speak out publicly about “Bones” and his recent mishap.
“Well, I mean, [Jon Jones] did it to himself, unfortunately,” Frye said earlier this week in an interview with Submission Radio. “Something got caught. And not everybody gets caught but a lot more people do it than don’t, I’m sure. And Jon’s the greatest fighter to enter the cage but he’s just got a black cloud hanging over his head. He’s he’s gotta be free of, you know, he’s treading water but he’s got a couple of anchors tied to his ankles and it keeps dragging him down.”
Unlike many others before him, Frye also believes that Jones could have been set up by USADA itself. There is obviously zero proof to the MMA veteran’s claims, but Frye makes some interesting accusations in the process.
“The problem with these drug tests is they catch who they want to catch,” Frye explained. “So, with that being said, it could be tainted. If they wanted you to be positive, you will be positive. [Jon Jones] is a hell of an athlete to make an example out of, right? […] He’ll be back unless he OD’s or gets in a nasty car wreck or something. He’ll just not, you know use the stuff before the fight. You know, it’s a part of his life, part of the recreational – hell, that’s his business until he runs into somebody who’s pregnant. Sh*t, he may not live long enough to come back in four years.”
While it’s highly unlikely that USADA would jeopardize its entire operation just to throw Jones under the bus, Frye does raise some eyebrows. Even if his remarks hold no truth whatsoever, they at least bring about the idea of possibly having a third party monitor the procedures put forth by USADA.
It couldn’t hurt.