Disappointing and devastating.
Those were the sentiments late Wednesday when it was announced Jon Jones had been removed from UFC 200.
The polarizing star was flagged for a potential doping violation and his title unification fight with Daniel Cormier was cancelled just three days prior to the anticipated event.
“It’s super, super disappointing,” UFC president Dana White told reporters at a quickly-thrown-together press conference in Las Vegas. “Obviously, he has the chance to prove himself innocent before being called guilty. But if it’s true, super disappointing.”
The UFC released the following statement in reaction to the news:
“The UFC organization was notified [Wednesday] that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Jon Jones of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collection on June 16, 2016.
“USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case. It is important to note that, under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, there is a full fair legal review process that is afforded to all athletes before any sanctions are imposed.
“However, because Jones was scheduled to compete against Daniel Cormier this coming Saturday, July 9 in Las Vegas, there is insufficient time for a full review before the scheduled bout and therefore the fight has been removed from the fight card. As a result, the three-round heavyweight bout between Brock Lesnar and Mark Hunt will become the UFC 200 main event.
“Consistent with all previous potential anti-doping violations, additional information or UFC statements will be provided at the appropriate time as the process moves forward.”
The UFC also announced that ticket refunds would be available upon request at the primary point of purchase.
“This is devastating to Daniel Cormier in every way it could possibly be,” White added. “It stings real bad for him. I’d like to make a fight for him if I can.”
A sullen Cormier did say he is willing to stay on the card if the UFC can find a suitable opponent on short notice.
“To hear something like this is very sad from a competitive and financial standpoint. I don’t know exactly how to explain how I’m feeling right now,” Cormier said. “I’m just very disappointed. I’ve worked really hard to prepare for this. You take care of what you can take care of and that’s what I did. More than anything, I’m really disappointed.”
Alexander Gustafsson, who lost a thrilling split decision to Cormier last October, expressed his willingness to step up.