UFC 235’s Anthony Smith: Jon Jones is clean now, but used PEDs ‘at some point in time’

Bloodyelbow.com

Jon Jones drew a bit of a buzz during fight week when his UFC 235 pre-fight drug test rendered a positive result for Turinabol metabolites. The Nevada Athetlic Commission, however, dismissed this as mere traces from the 2017 failure and deemed him eligible to carry on with his scheduled title defense against Anthony Smith.

The challenger, for his part, was not at all surprised by the result.

“It’s expected. I didn’t have any doubt in my mind,” Smith told reporters during a post-open workout scrum (via MMA Fighting). “Whatever reason, he tends to pulse when he gets close to a fight. I expected it.

“I would have been more shocked if it wasn’t there. It is what it is, man.”

Past controversies aside, Smith says he has faith in the commission as the governing body. As for Jones, “Lionheart” does believe he’s a clean fighter nowadays, but is not as certain about the past.

“I trust the Nevada State Athletic Commission,” he said. “I don’t understand the science behind it. It doesn’t make any sense to any of us — we’re just regular people. So it doesn’t make any sense to me. But Bob Bennett has been doing this a long time and I just don’t think that he would put me in a position where someone else starts with a head start.

“That’s not me giving Jon a pass, though. Obviously, there’s been some sort of indiscretion. At some point in time, he’s used PEDs and I don’t think we can argue that. As far as now, I think Jon is a clean athlete.”

Jones and Smith will headline UFC 235 this Saturday, March 2^nd, at the T-Mobile Arena.