Dana White knew about Jon Jones’ positive drug test before this past weekend’s UFC 182 event, but the UFC boss never considered pulling the light heavyweight champ from his fight with Daniel Cormier.

“I was shocked, obviously, and this is one of those situations where it’s so different than if a guy gets busted for performance-enhancing drugs,” White said. “You worry about the person first, you know? You forget about the fighting and the work side of it. You worry about the person, Jon Jones as a person. He got checked into rehab, they’re going to evaluate him and then we’ll go from there.”

White today made his first public appearance to discuss the matter on FOX Sports 1’s “America’s Pregame.”

Jones (21-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC) successfully defended his title for an eighth consecutive time after defeating Daniel Cormier (15-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) via unanimous decision at the Jan. 3 pay-per-view event. He was randomly tested on Dec. 4, and results came back on Dec. 23, Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Bob Bennett told MMAjunkie.

White confirmed the promotion learned of Jones’ pre-fight test results, in which the champ was positive for cocaine metabolites, ahead of the long-awaited clash with Cormier. However, he said promotion officials never considered delaying or canceling the fight based on the results.

“What happened was, so they do these tests leading up to a fight, these random drug tests, and he tested positive,” White explained. “No, (there was no talk of postponing the fight) because No. 1, he was healthy. No. 2, the reason you would stop a fight and the hammer would drop on a guy would be if he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

“(Daniel Cormier) was not (informed of the failed test) because he didn’t need to be. If he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, everything would have got shut down. The other thing people have to understand about this situation is Jon Jones was contracted to fight. We have a contract with him. Everybody thinks that we can just say, ‘Hey, the fight’s off. The fight’s not happening.’ Damn right he had the right to fight.”

White said his primary concern for now was ensuring that the top pound-for-pound fighter in the sport addresses whatever substance abuse issues he may have, which he believes Jones is doing now as he starts a stint in rehab.

“I talked to him yesterday before he went in, and I’m hoping that I’ll be able to talk to him tonight,” White said. “He was in a good place going in there and I’m sure he’s in an even better place today. I look forward to talking to him today.”

In the meantime, White said he was as shocked as anyone to learn the results of the random test. And while the incident could certainly be viewed as a black-eye to Jones’ reputation, White said he’s not concerned with marketability and future earnings right now. Instead, he insists he’s only worried about Jones coming out a better man – and perhaps a better fighter, as well.

“If you look at how shocked everybody was by this, nothing you saw in Jon Jones leading up to that fight would make you think that he used drugs,” White said. “In a situation like this the last thing you worry about is his image right now. You worry about getting the guy healthy, he’ll come back, and whether you like him or you don’t like him, he’s the baddest dude in the world. He’s the pound-for-pound best guy in the world. What’s even crazier is you do these tests to look for performance-enhancing drugs, the stuff he was doing, it hurts you. It doesn’t help you in any way, it actually hurts you. So imagine how good this guy’s going to be when he gets straight.

“Everything happens for a reason. It’s a great thing this happened. It’s a great thing this guy made a mistake. Who would have known? We would never know. We’ll get him the help that he needs.”

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