The Nevada State Athletic Commission did not take UFC heavyweight contender Josh Barnett‘s past failed drug tests lightly, imposing strict stipulations in order for him to be granted his fighter’s license for UFC 168.
“The Warmaster” was granted his license to fight Travis Browne in Las Vegas, Nevada, on December 28; however, he must make himself available to random World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) drug testing between now and December 31, 2014, MMA Junkie reported earlier this afternoon.
Barnett has failed drug tests for performance-enhancing drugs in 2001, 2002 and 2009, though the nearly 16-year fight veteran attributes each aberration to taking tainted over-the-counter nutritional supplements.
According to the report, which was written based on the transactions that occurred at the live NSAC hearing today, a motion was introduced and approved unanimously to license the submission specialist.
Barnett will be “subjected to enhanced, intensive, weekly testing by the WADA lab at the expense of Mr. Barnett or UFC” and will “also be subjected to random testing by the Nevada State Athletic Commission through Dec. 31, 2014 to be paid by him or the UFC,” an excerpt of the motion reads.
The former UFC heavyweight champ, who was present with attorneys, is also quoted as saying: “I understand the prohibited list, and that’s what’s necessary. I have to put it in my mouth, in my body. … No one’s giving me anything under the table and putting things in my system. This is my responsibility.”
Additionally, UFC executive Marc Ratner, who also attended the hearing, indicated that the UFC would cover any costs associated with additional drug testing for Barnett.
The report also makes mention that Barnett is off to a good start, as he was tested on October 15 and the results came back clean.
After a 3-1 run in Strikeforce, Barnett returned to the Octagon at UFC 164 in August, taking out another ex-titleholder in Frank Mir, though many called the stoppage in the bout premature.
Barnett is currently the sixth heavyweight in the world in the UFC’s official rankings, so a victory over Browne (No. 5) could be enough to earn the Seattle native another crack at UFC gold.
UPDATE: 3:39 P.M. Eastern Time
Shortly after this story was published, Barnett tweeted his feelings about how the NSAC hearing went down.
I can imagine that today may set the precedent from here on and random testing may become the standard for the sport of MMA
— Josh Barnett (@JoshLBarnett) October 31, 2013
John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com.
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