UFC 214 rematch and in-competition positive test

On July 29, 2017, Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier met for a rematch at UFC 214 in Anaheim. Jones won the bout inside the Octagon via third-round TKO, and initial post-fight coverage recorded the stoppage as Jones' victory. Two days earlier, on July 28, 2017, Jones' in-competition urine sample was collected; subsequent laboratory analysis detected a metabolite consistent with the anabolic agent Turinabol, according to reporting [2][7]. Following the confirmed positive, the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) reviewed the case and on September 13, 2017 announced it had overturned the UFC 214 result to a no-contest, removing the win from Jones' official record against Cormier [2]. Immediate reactions included Cormier’s public Instagram message two days after the fight congratulating Jones and apologizing to referee John McCarthy, and later public debate as regulatory bodies and anti-doping agencies investigated the positive result [6][2][7]. Names and organizations involved: Jon Jones (fighter), Daniel Cormier (fighter), CSAC (commission that overturned the result), and testing/laboratory entities that reported the Turinabol metabolite [2][7].

The UFC 214 episode is a defining moment in the rivalry because an in-cage TKO result was later erased from official records, directly affecting title lineage and legacy debates. The overturn created a factual basis for Cormier and observers to contest Jones' win and elevated questions about anti-doping enforcement, while demonstrating how regulatory rulings can change the public record of a high-profile championship bout [2][7].

After CSAC’s September 13, 2017 overturn, public commentary and administrative proceedings continued. Daniel Cormier had already posted a congratulatory Instagram message on July 31, 2017 but the subsequent no-contest removed the in-cage outcome from Jones' win column against Cormier [6][2]. The case proceeded to USADA arbitration, which culminated in an independent-arbitrator decision in September 2018 imposing a 15-month sanction on Jones; the arbitration added nuance by finding Jones 'not intentionally cheating' while still imposing a period of ineligibility [3][8].