By Tim Summerville
Jon Jones was visibly upset as he fronted a media conference in Las Vegas this morning.
The former UFC light heavyweight champion was sensationally pulled from the UFC 200 main event last night after being flagged for a potential anti-doping violation.
"It really sucks. It hurts a lot,” he said. "They found something and I don’t know what it is. I can’t even pronounce it."
Jones broke down in tears and at one point had to leave the room as he battled to control his emotions.
It’s the latest set-back in what has been a tough 18 months for Jones, who was last year stripped of his light heavyweight title following a hit and run incident.
"I feel like I’ve put in a lot of work to get back to this point. Now I feel like I have to re-climb a ladder.
"I believe that something good will come from this, but right now it’s hard to see it.”
Jones said he has never heard of the substance he tested positive for and has no idea how it got into his system, but he’s realistic about any potential punishment, which could be a ban of up to two years.
"If I do have to sit out for two years, I’ll definitely be back. At the end of the day, I’m a fighter.
"I’m not broken, I’m just upset. I’m not going to let this slow me down."
With the Jones-Daniel Cormier fight now off the UFC 200 card, Mark Hunt’s heavyweight fight against Brock Lesnar has been promoted to the main event. That fight will still be contested over three rounds.
The UFC is considering bringing in a new opponent for Cormier, but at this point it appears unlikely that he will stay on the card.
Although there have been plenty of notable fighters that appear ready to offer their services on short notice including UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping.
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