Three UFC fighters fail drug tests

Daniel Pineda during his fight with Andre Fili at the UFC APEX. | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Recent tests came back positive for amphetamines and marijuana. Three UFC fighters have been handed suspensions by the Nev…


UFC Fight Night: Andre Fili v Daniel Pineda
Daniel Pineda during his fight with Andre Fili at the UFC APEX. | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Recent tests came back positive for amphetamines and marijuana.

Three UFC fighters have been handed suspensions by the Nevada Athletic Commission after drug tests returned results for banned substances. All three of the fighters appeared at events at the UFC APEX in recent months.

The three fighters who received suspensions were Daniel Pineda, Rodrigo Nascimento and Chris Barnett (per MMA Junkie).

Pineda tested positive for amphetamines in a urine sample produced after his no contest with Andre Fili on June 26. That result has cost Pineda a nine-month suspension, retroactive to the test date, and a fine of $2,554.38. Pineda will be eligible to compete on March 26, 2022.

In 2019 Pineda was given a six month suspension and a $12,500 fine after a drug test showed an elevated testosterone-to-epitestosterone ratio. That test result overturned his wins over Movid Khaibulaev and Jeremy Kennedy in the quarter-final and semi-finals of the 2019 PFL featherweight tournament. The test result also meant he lost his spot in the final, where he would have faced Lance Palmer for a $1 million grand prize.

Pineda has had two stints with the UFC and holds a record of 4-5 (1 NC) in the promotion. He has also appeared in Bellator.

Nascimento, a Contender series alum, tested positive for ritalinic acid, a metabolite of psychostimulant drugs methylphenidate and ethylphenidate. His test was conducted after his TKO win over Alan Baudot on July 17. The test means that result has been overturned to a no contest. Nascimento has received a six month ban and a fine of $1,945.36. He will be eligible to compete on January 17, 2022.

Barnett tested positive for marijuana on May 22, after he was submitted by Ben Rothwell in his UFC debut. Barnett was given a four-and-a-half month suspension and a fine of $1,036.08. He will be eligible to compete on October 26, 2021.

Barnett’s test was conducted before the NAC removed marijuana from their banned substance list.