Jon Jones Drug Test Prompts UFC 232 to Be Moved to Los Angeles from Las Vegas

UFC 232 will be moved from Las Vegas to Los Angeles to accommodate Jon Jones, who wouldn't have been allowed to compete in the state of Nevada, according to Brett Okamoto of ESPN. 

Jones will still face Alexander Gustaffson on Saturday in a rematch of their 2013 fight.

Per Okamoto, the UFC star tested positive for the same metabolite that caused a failed test in 2017. The United States Anti-Doping Agency will not sanction Jones, but Nevada would not licence him. California will allow him to fight, however, leading to the sudden change in venue.

UFC President Dana White and Jeff Novitzky, the UFC vice president of athlete health and performance, broke down why the change was made:

According to Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports, the amount of the drug oral turinabol found in Jones' system was "the size of one-50 millionth of a grain of sand," which likely contributed to the leniency in this situation.

"I just wanted to take the time out to apologize to the fans for what is going on," Jones said, according to TMZ. "This is a situation that is completely out of my control ... but I still will man up and apologize for this happening. I realize there's a lot of people who lost out in the situation ... people came from Sweden, people came from Brazil ... I feel your frustration," Jones added.

Jones' career has been derailed by drug use and problems outside the Octagon, although he is still one of the sport's biggest stars when active. He has a 22-1 career record, with his only loss coming by disqualification.

Meanwhile, his bout with Gustafsson at UFC 165, which Jones won by decision after five rounds, was one of the biggest fights of the last decade.

Still, this decision affects a lot of people beyond the two in the main event.

The entire card will also be moving to Los Angeles, including the highly anticipated match between Cris Cyborg and Amanda Nunes for the women's featherweight title.