Jon Jones gives update on return after Cormier's UFC 226 win: My best days are still ahead
JON JONES is adamant mixed martial arts fans haven't seen the best of him.
The former UFC light-heavyweight champion is currently sat on the sidelines awaiting punishment for his failed drug test ahead of his UFC 214 grudge match with Daniel Cormier, which he won via an emphatic third-round KO.
Jones' second positive drug test discovered traces of the banned anabolic steroid Turanibol in his system, which he and his team believe may have entered his system via a tainted supplement.
Nearly a year has passed since news of Jones' second doping violation emerged and we're still not any closer to learning the New Yorker's punishment.
It the United States Anti-Doping Agency deems that he intentionally took the banned agent, he could be handed a four-year suspension, a punishment which would all but end his storied mixed martial arts career.
Although the future looks bleak for the youngest champion in UFC history, the dark cloud hanging over him seemingly hasn't dampened his spirits.
"The update is that I’m alive and well, been enjoying my family this summer and also doing a lot of personal growth work," Jones tweeted on Monday evening.
"No clue when I’ll be back in the octagon exactly.
Jon Jones admits to poking his opponents in the eye
I do believe wholeheartedly that my best days in the UFC are still ahead
"But I do believe wholeheartedly that my best days in the UFC are still ahead."
Amongst those frustrated by the delay in Jones' sentencing is his manager Malki Kawa, who earlier this week claimed he's expecting Jones to learn his fate by the end of the month.
"I'm very confident we will have a decision on this thing by the end of this month," Kawa said during an appearance on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show.
"They're pushing hard. I know everyone involved is working hard to come to a resolution.
"I know that the UFC is anxiously waiting and we're dealing with USADA on a daily basis.
"They've been really good with us as far as really investigating this thing and looking at it from a lot of different angles and stuff."
He added: “To me, this program should not try to punish guys that they know aren't trying to cheat. To them, the right thing could be he's innocent but he's still going to have suspension because he was negligent.
“So, you can get punished for being negligent, you can get punished for cheating. We'll see what they come up with this time.
"I'm hoping he gets cleared in the next month or so and that the opportunity to fight presents itself. If it's next year, early next year or whatever it is, I'm confident."