(Come on. You’re telling me that’s not a pothead? / Photo via Sherdog)
Update: Herman only tested positive for marijuana. The report that originally stated he also tested positive for steroids came from a misinterpretation of his interview.
UFC heavyweight Dave Herman has confirmed that his scheduled UFC 136 main card bout against Mike Russow has been canceled, after his pre-fight drug tests came back positive for marijuana. Herman denies using the illegal substance. As he explained to Clinch Gear Radio:
“I went in to get in my drug test (on Sept. 15), and a week later, they called me and told me they lost my urine specimen. I had to come in and redo it. That was last week. I went back in that day. And [on Wednesday], they told me I failed. I said, ‘That’s impossible.’…[now,] Texas said they never lost it and the first one [tested positive] for drugs and the second was for steroids. I don’t even smoke…I haven’t even had a beer in two months.”
To our knowledge, this is the first time that an MMA fighter has been flagged for performance enhancing drugs by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. We’ll update you when we learn more about Herman’s potential punishment for the botched test, and his inevitable appeal.
At this point, it doesn’t appear likely that the UFC will find a replacement opponent for Mike Russow, who’s a perfect 3-0 in the Octagon. UFC 136′s preliminary-card rematch between Leonard Garcia and Nam Phan has been promoted to the main card to fill the space. The current lineup for “Edgar vs. Maynard 3″ is below…
Main PPV Card
Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard (for UFC lightweight championship)
Jose Aldo vs. Kenny Florian (for UFC featherweight championship)
Chael Sonnen vs. Brian Stann (MW)
Joe Lauzon vs. Melvin Guillard (LW)
Leonard Garcia vs. Nam Phan (FW)
Spike TV Prelims
Demian Maia vs. Jorge Santiago (MW)
Anthony Pettis vs. Jeremy Stephens (LW)
Preliminary Card (Facebook)
Joey Beltran vs. Stipe Miocic (HW)
Zhang Tie Quan vs. Darren Elkins (FW)
Aaron Simpson vs. Eric Schafer (MW)
Steve Cantwell vs. Mike Massenzio (MW)