(Can you not see the hydrochlorothiazide COURSING THROUGH HIS VEINS??? / Photo via Getty)
Louis Gaudinot‘s 73-second submission win over Phil Harris at UFC Fight Night 37 has been overturned into a no contest. This comes off the back of Gaudinot’s drug test failure; he tested positive for the banned diuretic hydrochlorothiazide. As the event took place in the UK, it was the UFC that handed him a six month suspension rather than an athletic commission.
Gaudinot issued a statement not long after the news of his drug test failure and suspension broke:
I have great respect for the UFC, the sport of MMA, and my opponent. I would never do anything to disrespect any of them. I would also never do anything to tarnish my name, my teammates, and family. While I deny any wrongdoing, I will respect the decision of the UFC and look forward to getting back in the cage in pursuit of the UFC flyweight championship. I thank my family, teammates and fans for their support.
A bit of a bummer, we were hoping for Dennis Siver levels of palpable guilt but instead we just got a generic “I didn’t do it but I’m not gonna fight it because I actually did do it” answer. Gaudinot, a flyweight, is now 6-3 (1) in his MMA career. Before fighting Harris, he was coming off a disappointing decision loss to Phil Harris. With the suspension, Gaudinot won’t be able to grace the Octagon again until September. Harris now has a sterling record of 22-11 (2). The had UFC justifiably shit-canned Harris after the fight, but have apparently brought him back to face Neil Seery at UFC Fight Night 46 next month. As Nick Diaz would say, “It’s whatever.”