Lance Armstrong: UFC anti-doping expert loves the spotlight
Disgraced former Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong has weighed in on the potential anti-doping violation of UFC fighter Jon Jones.
Jones was slated to fight Daniel Cormier in the main event of Saturday's UFC 200, but was pulled from the card Wednesday night after the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency flagged Jones for a June doping test.
In a conversation on Twitter, Armstrong suggested Jeff Novitzky, an agent for the Food and Drug Administration investigating the use of steroids in sports as well as the UFC's vice president of athlete health and performance, deliberately timed Jones' removal from the card to draw attention to himself:
@Jon_Anik it's cause Jeff Novitzky wants to be in the spotlight. Just ask @lancearmstrong
— Eric P (@SuBurban23) July 7, 2016
@SuBurban23 @Jon_Anik 100% correct
— Lance Armstrong (@lancearmstrong) July 7, 2016
It's not hard to imagine why Armstrong might have a grudge against those employed in the field of catching PED users, so perhaps his comments should be taken with a grain of salt.
What's undeniable, however, is that Jones' removal from UFC 200 this close to the event has left the UFC reeling, and perhaps racing to find a new main event for what it has billed as the biggest UFC card of all time.