Chad Mendes Blames Skin Cream For Failed Drug Test

Chad Mendes believes a skin cream is to blame for his failed drug test and subsequent two-year suspension from MMA.

“I’ve always just accepted it and put it on, not thinking about anything,” Mendes said during an appearance on “The Drive” recently (thanks to MMA Fighting for transcribing). “This is one of the cases that it had something in it that was on the USADA quote-unquote banned list. My situation was just kind of bad luck, I feel. Ultimately, I broke the rules. Did I use it? Of course. I didn’t try going to USADA and making some BS story and tried to lie my way out of it.”

Mendes was suspended after his test results found GHRP-6, which is a growth-hormone peptide, during an out-of-competition test in May. The former title challenger said he suffers from plaque psoriasis, a skin condition, which is why he uses the cream.

“One thing i want to clear up to a lot of people calling me ‘roid head or juice head: This isn’t even a steroid,” Mendes said. “It’s a peptide.”