Thursday, the drug tests from UFC on FX 6 came back and tattled on a pair of UFC notables: Joey Beltran and Rousimar Palhares.
The initial report (courtesy of MMAweekly.com) showed us that heavyweight Beltran tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone and that the testosterone/epitestosterone ratio of Palhares was above the acceptable limits.
Although the original announcement did not have specific information regarding Palhares‘ T/E ratio from his post-fight urinalysis, Kevin Iole from Yahoo! Sports recently turned to Twitter with a report that “Toquinho’s” levels had a ratio of 9-to-1.
Rousimar Palhares‘ T/E ratio was over 9/1, which is more than double the WADA approved limit of 4/1
— Kevin Iole (@KevinI) January 11, 2013
Iole does make note of the WADA-approved limit of 4-to-1. However, in mixed martial arts, the Nevada State Athletic Commission allows professional fighters to fight with a ratio as high as 6-to-1.
Rousimar Palhares has been suspended for nine months, retroactive to December 15. The test does not alter the result of his fight, as the Brazilian was unsuccessful against Hector Lombard on the card.
Testosterone replacement therapy has been a hot-button issue in mixed martial arts. Chael Sonnen and Nate Marquardt have both infamously tested positive for elevated T/E ratios due to the controversial treatments while other stars like Dan Henderson are also admitted users.
Most recently, former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort had an interesting interview regarding TRT and its practice in modern fighting. While he did not confirm his use of the treatment, his inability to answer a question clearly has led to speculation.
In any event, kudos to the UFC for continuing to punish offenders who attempt to gain an unfair advantage inside the Octagon.
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