Skip to content

Jones cleared for UFC 239 after NSAC grants license

MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images / MediaNews Group / Getty

Jon Jones will officially receive his fighting license from the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Wednesday, clearing him to compete at UFC 239, NSAC executive director Bob Bennett told ESPN's Marc Raimondi.

Bennett said the UFC light heavyweight champion will be licensed for the remainder of the year after fulfilling his obligations to NSAC.

Jones wasn't sanctioned to fight in Las Vegas last December after a drug-test abnormality. The promotion moved UFC 232 to Los Angeles as a result, but he wasn't suspended due to the residual amount of turinabol in his system being left over from the 2017 positive test.

NSAC granted "Bones" a conditional one-fight license in January to fight Anthony Smith at UFC 235, which he won by unanimous decision. The 31-year-old agreed to increased drug-testing in order to fight, and Bennett told ESPN he's been tested nearly 30 times since January.

"(Jones is) legitimately, I think, the most tested athlete in professional sports in the world right now," UFC vice president of athlete health and performance Jeff Novitzky told ESPN. "At least these last six months."

With his licensing issue soon to be behind him, Jones is set to defend his belt against Thiago Santos on July 6 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox