Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones got some form of redemption when he was merely given a 15-month retroactive suspension for his second drug test failure in the UFC at UFC 214 in 2017. But even so, allegations of being a cheater remains associated to his name and image.

“Bones” does admit to having small amounts of steroids in his system, but what he does not concede to is that he was deliberately using performance-enhancing substances.

“My last situation was a terrible situation. Steroid allegation type of things,” Jones said recently on ESPN’s First Take. “Wasn’t an allegation, I did have trace amounts of steroids in my body. Thank goodness USADA went through the whole process to prove my innocence. Through science, we were able to prove that there was a very trace amount of steroids in my body. One of the people said ‘the amount of steroids in Jon’s body was like taking a pinch of salt and throwing it into an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

“We have no clue how it got into my body,” he added. “We did everything in our power to figure out how it got into my body, where this came from. I spent thousands and thousands of dollars through all this testing to get supplements tested, and we were still not able to figure out where it came from.”

For Jones, USADA’s recognition that he did not intentionally ingest the Turinabol that was found in his system is a strong statement in itself.

“USADA is a credible drug-testing agency. They always have been. They’ve tested Lance Armstrong and just lots of great athletes, the highest level athletes throughout history. And they don’t make mistakes.

“So the fact that I’m here back fighting is because they don’t make mistakes and I was able to be proven innocent.”

Ultimately, Jones is firm in his belief that he never cheated, and that his legacy will not be tarnished.

“I know in my spirit that I’ve never cheated the sport,” he said. “Like I said, USADA was able to prove that it was such a trace amount that it had no effect on my performance. I’ve always passed every drug test.

“I am the best fighter in the sport, I’ve always been the best fighter in the sport. Nothing’s changed. So I should perform exactly the way that I always (have).”

Jones will be breaking his lengthy absence with a light heavyweight championship rematch against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 232 in December in Las Vegas.