Top MMA storylines of 2016: 3. USADA’s impact

If anyone was still wondering if the UFC’s new anti-doping program was going to have any teeth, those doubts went out the window in early July.

Just three days before UFC 200, one of the promotion’s banner events of all time, it was announced that Jon Jones — the card headliner and best fighter in the world — had failed a USADA out-of-competition drug test.

Jones was yanked from his title fight against Daniel Cormier and the UFC had to shuffle the UFC 200 deck at the 11th hour.

From the outside, it looked like a black eye for the sport.