Craig Jones is one of the most recognizable figures in modern grappling. The Australian coaches UFC champions such as Alexander Volkanovski and Jack Della Maddalena.
Additionally, he has cornered 11 UFC matches (10 of them title matches) and jokingly describes himself as a “part-time influencer, YouTuber, jiu-jitsu industry disruptor at any cost to my personal wellbeing.”
Widely regarded as one of the best grapplers alive, Jones has also been unusually open about his own use of PEDs throughout his career.
In Nathaniel Cho’s video examining the UFC’s relationship with PED testing and USADA, Jones serves as a recurring voice, offering an insider’s perspective on how PEDs, testing, and enforcement work behind the scenes.
When discussing whether it is even realistic to eliminate PEDs from combat sports, Jones argued that the challenge is much bigger than most people realize.
“They can’t even keep d**gs out of prisons,” he said. “The idea that we’re going to be able to have a sports testing scenario within a budget frame for our low-budget sport that would be able to effectively test it.”
Jones has never hidden the fact that he used PEDs during his competitive career and even acknowledged that doing so amounted to cheating.
“I do also wholeheartedly believe I am cheating.”
Looking back at the tournament that launched him into the spotlight, he explained that he would have passed a PED test despite having previously cycled roids.
“If you had PED tested me at ADCC 2017 when I had my breakout moment, I would have actually tested clean,” he said. “But I definitely blasted for a 6-month period prior to that.”
Jones also recalled why he first decided to start taking testosterone, saying repeated physical disadvantages against stronger opponents pushed him in that direction.
“I was built like a chopstick,” he said. “I definitely lost matches because I felt like I was not strong enough to compete with that opponent.”
His first injection, however, did not go according to plan.
“I ended up contacting, in Melbourne, for no better term, a d**g dealer for my first shot of testosterone,” Jones recalled.
“And he injected me in the wrong location of my butt cheek and I could not sit down for maybe 3 or 4 days. I swear he hit a nerve in there or something.”
Jones said one of the biggest obstacles for aspiring athletes considering PEDs was simply figuring out how to obtain them.
“Who do you talk to?” he asked. “As an up-and-coming athlete, if you want to make that transition, it’s so secretive. You’re scared to ask.”
Asked whether he believes UFC stars are using roids, Jones made his opinion clear while acknowledging he had no direct evidence.
“Do I think there are guys in the UFC on st**oids? 100%,” he said. “Do I know? No.”
However, he was adamant that one of the athletes he coaches, Alexander Volkanovski, has never used PEDs.
“Volkanovski, with 100% confidence, I could say has never touched any PEDs and it’s a point of pride.”
Turning to the UFC’s anti-PED efforts, Jones questioned what he believed was the true purpose of the testing program.
“I think it was designed to look like it was catching people.”
He also pointed to the period after USADA’s departure from the UFC, saying positive tests seemed to disappear from public discussion.
“We hear nothing anymore,” he said. “When was the last time we heard of a guy popping for anything? It used to be quite common.”
Jones also suggested that, in the wrong hands, a PED-testing program could become a powerful negotiating tool rather than simply an anti-PED measure.
“If I was an unethical promoter, what I would do is I’d control the testing and use failed tests to leverage contracts,” he said. “Hey, you popped, accept this deal or the test goes public.”
“If I was a truly unethical promoter that only cared about the bottom line, that’s honestly how I’d use d**g testing.”
Finally, Jones acknowledged that his own grappling success has also benefited from competing against former MMA athlets while using roids.
“I’ve built a career beating up washed MMA stars,” he said. “At the same time where it’s like if we remove the roids, got an unfair advantage there as well.”
