The Nevada State Athletic Commission has scheduled major hearings for their meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 29 to decide the fates of three of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s biggest stars.
According to the agenda released by the commission, hearings for Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor and Jon Jones will take place during the same meeting. MMAJunkie.com was first to report this news. The meeting is scheduled in Las Vegas at 9 a.m. local time, and any potential broadcasting plans have not yet been announced.
First on the docket will be the complaint against Nurmagomedov. He has been on suspension ever since his post-fight brawl at UFC 229, where he submitted McGregor and then jumped from the cage to attack one of McGregor’s cornermen. Both Nurmagomedov and McGregor are potentially facing fines as well as additional suspensions and other possible action, and the commission has not released Nurmagomedov’s entire fight purse from the event. Although attendance has been deemed compulsory by the commission, Nurmagomedov has claimed he will not appear.
Additionally, Nurmagomedov’s cornermen, cousin Abubakar Nurmagomedov and current UFC featherweight Zubaira Tukhugov will be appearing before the commission. Both of those men traded blows with McGregor inside the cage after the bout had ended. Following those hearings will be one for McGregor. All of these athletes have the opportunity to reach adjudication, or settlement, agreements prior to the hearing, and some may instead discuss these agreements rather than holding hearings on their disciplinary complaints.
Finally, Jones is seeking a new license to compete in Nevada, and the hearing will determine whether or not the NSAC issues him that license. Jones tested positive for turinabol in July 2017, forcing the California State Athletic Commission to overturn his victory over rival Daniel Cormier. Throughout 2018, prior to his meeting with Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 232, Jones sporadically tested positive for turinabol metabolites.
After the controversy with his test results, the NSAC would not provisionally grant Jones a license prior to a potential hearing. Instead of pulling the fight, the UFC moved the entire event to California, where the CSAC was willing to license Jones. In this licensing hearing, the NSAC intends on engaging in “discussion and deliberation regarding Jon Jones’ United States Anti-Doping Agency in-competition and out-of-competition anti-doping drug testing results.”
Jones is currently scheduled to meet Anthony Smith at UFC 235 in Nevada, and his appearance hinges on this licensing hearing. Just yesterday, Jones again tested positive for those same metabolites following his UFC 232 appearance from his Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency tests, but he was not be further punished by the CSAC.