One of the best comeback victories of the year in MMA is now null and void, at least in the official record books.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) overturned Trevin Jones' second-round TKO over Timur Valiev, making it a no-contest Wednesday following Jones' positive drug test for marijuana. That bout took place Aug. 22 at UFC Fight Night: Munhoz vs. Edgar. Jones was also suspended four-and-a-half months and fined $1,800.
Valiev dominated Jones in the first round, nearly finishing him on two occasions. But Jones survived and ended up stopping Valiev in the second round with a big right hand and ground-and-pound on the mat. The shocking, come-from-behind victory earned Jones a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus from the UFC.
Cannabis is prohibited in-competition under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code, which has been adopted by the Nevada commission. Some states, though, do not overturn wins because of positive drug tests for the recreational drug.
Jones (12-6, 1 NC), a 30-year-old Guam resident, was making his UFC debut on the card. It was a short-notice fight, which led the commission to reduce a potential suspension length.
Also at the NSAC meeting Wednesday, UFC fighter Jorge Gonzalez was suspended two years after testing positive in August for three prohibited substances, including the steroids stanozolol and drostanolone. USADA, the UFC's anti-doping partner, had already announced a two-year suspension for Gonzalez, and the NSAC ban will run concurrently with that one.