Why did Jon Jones lose his his UFC title and how many times has he been stripped of his belt?

A champion across divisions, a stellar record and an all-round elite fighter, Jon Jones has been embroiled in various controversies and incidents that have had repercussions in the sport. While some gestures with fans have made the news for all the right reasons, others certainly have not.

Between 2015 and 2017, Jones was hardly out of the public eye, with the now 37-year-old fighter at the epicentre of three headline-making events that saw him stripped of his titles.

Why did Jon Jones have his world titles stripped?

In April 2015, he was removed from the official rankings of the UFC and stripped of his world heavyweight title - which he won as the youngest ever champion by beating Mauricio Rua - after being involved in a hit-and-run which saw him crash into a pregnant woman before fleeing the scene. “I totally am”, he replied, beaming from cheek to cheek when asked by Joe Rogan whether or not he was disappointed with his behaviour.

Six months later, after returning from his ban, Jones won the interim title but it would only take a year for history to be made as he became the first person ever to be stripped of two titles in UFC: clomiphene and letrozole, banned substances by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), were found in his system. A suspension ensued by both the USADA and the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

He beat Daniel Cormier in UFC 214 to regain the title on his return but it was only four weeks later when the USADA once again detected the presence of illegal substances in Jones' body. This time around it was turinabol metabolite that was found and the fight result was overturned. A third title was stripped and Jones, once again, made history.

15 months later he was back; after winning the light heavyweight world championship he declared his intention to rise up to the heavyweights, where he once dominated.

UFC 285 came and went and so did Ciryl Gane’s attempt at taking the heavyweight title. Once again, Jones claimed victory. Now it’s time for Stipe Miocic to go up against ‘Bones’ in a heavyweight title bout at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday.

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