On July 29, 2017, Jon Jones was on top of the world as he defeated Daniel Cormier with a third-round head kick at UFC 214 to become the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.

However, his time as champion was short, as news broke stating that Jones had tested positive for the anabolic steroid Turinabol in a sample collected the day of the weigh-ins for the event.

As a result, he was stripped of the title, and now he awaits the resolution of his case with the USADA, who could give him a maximum penalty of a four-year suspension.

On the one-year anniversary of the night which he defeated Cormier for the title, a result which was later turned into a no contest, Bones posted an emotional message onto his Instagram account.

Bones' Struggles

Jones described the struggles which he has been through over the past year and how he is not giving up despite the uncertainty surrounding his future.

He said: "Time has a way of putting things into perspective. One year ago today I knocked out Daniel Cormier to reclaim my light heavyweight title. It was the culmination of all the sacrifice and hard work put in on the road back to where I truly know I belong.

"That’s at the top...the only place I’ve ever dreamed of being. Turns out it wasn’t a forever moment but a fleeting one as two weeks later I find out on TMZ of all places my title has been stripped and I’m suspended once again.

"To go from the spotlight to darkness, and have everything taken away from me again was a hardship the public will never truly understand. It bent me but did not break me and I had to learn to fight in a different way.

Not giving up

"I’ve spent the last year living right and getting healthy, but much of that work was spent correcting and repairing my mental space. Call it weakness if you will but even the toughest individuals need assistance getting back on track.

"I’ll be back, and when I am it will be a more complete version than the world has ever seen. You have to turn the lemons life gives you into lemonade, and you have to take time to sit back and enjoy it.

"The struggles don’t define you. It’s how you handle them that determines who you are. Be good, enjoy the day and God bless."

Many people still regard Jones as one of the best MMA fighters of all-time, it's just a case of whether or not he'll ever have a real opportunity again to enter the Octagon again to amend the wrongs he has made in his career.