Jon Jones: 'There's no room in my life to be a cocaine addict. I made a really dumb decision'

In an exclusive interview with Fox Sports Live that aired Monday, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones admitted to using cocaine in the past but said he doesn't have drug issues. 

Jones failed a drug test in early December, in the lead up to his fight and title defense on Jan. 3. Cocaine metabolites were found in his system. On Monday, he opened up about his past cocaine use and failed test. 

"I had done (cocaine) quite a few times in college," Jones said. "I had experimented with it but that's really it. It has never been an issue.

"My friends and family know that there's no room in my life to be a cocaine addict," he added. "I don't know what came over me to make such a poor choice, but I did and now I have to live with it.

"The whole situation has been embarrassing ... cocaine is such a dirty drug ... I've had to explain to so many people that I'm not a cocaine addict - I'm not even a frequent user. I just made a really dumb decision. I really got caught with my pants down in this whole situation and there's no excuse for it." 

Watch the 13-minute interview below:

Jones admitted he expected to fail the drug test the day he took it, but was steadfast in not making excuses:

It was a nerve-racking day. I knew that I had done something wrong and that the test would show that ... I knew the test would come out positive. But I knew there was nothing I could do about it. I was stressed out about it, but I thought I'd focus on what I could control, which was the fight.

I definitely don't have an excuse for what happened. I'm not here to make excuses. I did it. I had a party. But I think a coward would sit here and come up with this elaborate reason or try to blame something. And I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to blame my friends or pressure or stress. I'm not going to blame anything or anyone. But what I will say is "I messed up." It wasn't a mistake because I consciously did it.

Jones dodged questions about other illicit drug use, saying he "dipped and dabbled in my share of partying." 

He also maintains that he's never used performance-enhancing drugs. 

Jones said he entered a rehab program voluntarily after the failed test, and it was determined after an evaluation that he only needed outpatient counseling. 

In the end, Jones, who was fined $25,000, is moving forward.

I'm not going to sit here and say I'm not ever going to have a drink or enjoy life. The important thing is to learn when we fall down to get back up. Don't beat yourself up about it too much and just try to do things better.