Josh Barnett has run afoul of USADA, and he is not a fan of how they conduct their business.
Back in December of 2016, Josh Barnett was flagged by USADA for a positive out-of-competition test. It’s been 13 months since that happened, and not much at all has been said publicly about the situation. The one thing that did come out was Barnett saying he tested positive for ostarine, which has been found to be in tainted supplements that led to suspensions of other UFC fighters before.
In an interview with MMA Junkie, Barnett vented his frustrations with USADA and believes that aren’t conducting their business in the correct manor. As a result, he refuses to come to a settlement with them, and this leads him to believe he will receive a full four-year suspension for second-time offenders.
“I end up no matter what at the mercy of USADA. And to be honest, I don’t trust them in any way, shape, or form. I have no interest to work with them or be a part of their program.
“I would be willing to do anything else but work with USADA at this point. When you can’t trust someone, what are you supposed to do? Continue to give them the opportunity to break your trust? They don’t seem responsible enough to have oversight over my career.”
According to Barnett, he was originally offered a two-year suspension by USADA, but he chose to have the supplements tested. They apparently found that the supplements were tainted and even acknowledged that he didn’t willingly take the banned substance. But he was still offered the same suspension length – two years – before his manager fought back and they lowered their offer to 18 months. Still though, that’s not enough of an acknowledgement for him.
“I’m not against the idea and the spirit of USADA, or what an independent drug testing program is for – not at all,” Barnett said. “I don’t have an issue with any of these things, and even though I took a supplement that was tainted, I’m OK with having to go through the process to test the supplements. I’m totally fine with that.
“The only thing I protest to is being hammered after the fact, after finding that I am innocent of any wrongdoing, and instead of moving on and considering the time spent researching and finding the data and appealing my case as enough – the extra efforts to come after me, that’s where I draw the line.”
He also stated that he believes that punishment is their main goal, rather than fighter safety. And that he believes they are using a “witch hunt on a personal level.”
Barnett has been the focus of PED allegations before. He tested positive for banned substances in 2001 and received a warning from the Nevada State Athletic Commission. He then failed another test in 2002 and was stripped of the UFC heavyweight title. In 2009, the California State Athletic Commission announced that he tested positive for the anabolic steroid drostanolone, and he was removed from a fight with Fedor Emelianenko.
Despite these setbacks, he wants to continue in the sport. But he wants some clarity in terms of USADA’s role:
“I’m not done fighting,” Barnett said. “I’d still like to compete. But I want to train and compete and have a reasonable and understandable process to the whole thing.”