Jon Jones test abnormality causes UFC 232 to move from Vegas to L.A.

This story was updated at 9:15 PM Eastern.

In an unprecedented move, this Saturday’s UFC 232 pay-per-view will move from Las Vegas, NV, to Los Angeles, CA, due to a Jon Jones test abnormality.

The news was first reported by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto.

From Okamoto: “Jon Jones tested for a trace amount of the same metabolite that was found in his system in 2017. USADA has ruled the test was caused by a residual amount of the substance from 2017 and will not sanction Jones, but Nevada didn’t feel it could license him. California will.”

In an interview with Yahoo’s Kevin Iole, USADA head and UFC VP Jeff Novitzy said that a trace of oral turinabol “the size of one-50 millionth of a grain of sand was found in an anti-doping sample given by Jon Jones to USADA on Dec. 9” and that independent experts concluded it was not a re-ingestion that caused it but a trace from his previous 2017 positive test.

On SportsCenter, UFC president Dana White and Novitzy discussed the news and reiterated this wasn’t a positive test.

Jones tested positive for Turinabol after his July 2017 victory over Daniel Cormier to reclaim the UFC light heavyweight title. He was retroactively suspended for 15 months and cleared to fight earlier this fall. The Nevada Athletic Commission released a statement saying Jones had withdrew his pending license application and that Jones will appear at a January hearing to discuss the matter.

Here is USADA’s official statement.

From Iole: “Nevada officials aren’t as familiar with the 2017 case and because four of its five commissioners are out of town for the holidays, it agreed to allow Jones to go to California to fight and then appear at a January hearing in Nevada.”

The event will take place at the Forum in Los Angeles with tickets going on sale Wednesday. Refunds for those with Las Vegas tickets will be made available.

According to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, most fighters found out about the news via social media and not direct contact with the UFC.

Despite the positive test, Jones will face Alexander Gustafsson for the vacant light heavyweight title in Saturday’s main event.