A new report surfaced today, claiming Light Heavyweight UFC star Jon Jones has passed a lie detector test that suggests he did not knowingly take Turinabol, an anabolic steroid, before regaining the light-heavyweight title from Daniel Cormier. Jones appeared to take back his title in sensational style last July with a stunning head kick knockout. The elation was short-lived when it was announced that Jones was flagged for a potential doping violation by USADA stemming from his test sample that was collected after weigh-ins.
Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting reported that Jones took a polygraph last month
Jon Jones takes, passes polygraph test in attempt to prove he didn’t knowingly take steroid — https://t.co/GReXJ0I78E pic.twitter.com/Z693K8Rgiv
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) January 16, 2018
While this developing story throws a spanner in the works for the UFC light heavyweight division, it's still unclear how accurate polygraph tests really are. The science suggests that the machines used to conduct these exams measure levels of nervous excitement in the participant. The thought process is that if someone is telling the truth, then they will remain calm and not have high levels of nervous energy.
The Results of these tests are still not admissible in courtrooms and many psychologists are skeptical that the machines can accurately detect lies.
It will be interesting to see if USADA or the UFC give any credibility to the results of this test. The news comes just days before Cormier returns to the Octagon in Boston against Volkan Oezdemir at UFC 220 to defend the title Jones seemingly took from him before receiving his provisional suspension. That fight is the co-main event on a card that features a mouthwatering heavyweight title clash between Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou.
Conor McGregor will be stripped of his lightweight title?
In a live television interview with Fox Sports, UFC president Dana White hinted that McGregor would be forced to vacate if he didn't defend his title soon. "Conor has said he’s thinking about coming back in September...If he comes back in September, that’s almost two years — that can’t happen.
It’s not fair to everybody else. Love Conor, respect Conor, love everything that he’s done for this company — everybody knows that; I say it all the time. The belt would have to move on."
Should McGregor be stripped of his title, a fight between interim champion Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov is expected to be scheduled for either April or May.
What do you think of the news regarding Jon Jones? Do you think McGregor will be stripped of his title?
