Tag: MMA drug testing

Carina Damm Is Now a Two-Time Drug-Test Loser, Catches Six-Month Suspension Over Fake Urine


(Carina Damm: Continuing to break down boundaries for female fighters. Photo via Folha Vitoria)

Well this is a damn shame. Last month, we celebrated the five-year anniversary of Carina Damm becoming the first female MMA fighter to test positive for steroids. And now, according to a report broken by MMARising.com, Damm has become the first female MMA fighter to submit fake urine during a pre-fight drug test, following in the footsteps of fake-piss pioneers Kevin Randleman and Thiago Silva. Read on for the details:

Carina “Barbie” Damm has been fined and suspended for six months by the Ohio Athletic Commission for submitting an invalid urine sample prior to her recent fight in the state. Damm dropped a Unanimous Decision to Jessica “Evil” Eye at NAAFS: “Fight Night In The Flats 9” on June 1st in Cleveland.

OAC Executive Director Bernie Profato discussed the suspension with MMARising.com today. During pre-fight testing, Damm submitted a sample that was determined to be a substance other than urine. She has incurred a $550 fine in addition to the suspension, but is able to appeal the ruling…

During an intermission at the NAAFS event, just prior to the two title fights and main event bout between Eye and Damm, all six remaining fighters on the card were required to submit to pre-fight drug testing. Each sample came back clean for banned substances, but there were irregularities with Damm’s. The lab conducted a second test on the sample and verified that it was in fact not urine.


(Carina Damm: Continuing to break down boundaries for female fighters. Photo via Folha Vitoria)

Well this is a damn shame. Last month, we celebrated the five-year anniversary of Carina Damm becoming the first female MMA fighter to test positive for steroids. And now, according to a report broken by MMARising.com, Damm has become the first female MMA fighter to submit fake urine during a pre-fight drug test, following in the footsteps of fake-piss pioneers Kevin Randleman and Thiago Silva. Read on for the details:

Carina “Barbie” Damm has been fined and suspended for six months by the Ohio Athletic Commission for submitting an invalid urine sample prior to her recent fight in the state. Damm dropped a Unanimous Decision to Jessica “Evil” Eye at NAAFS: “Fight Night In The Flats 9” on June 1st in Cleveland.

OAC Executive Director Bernie Profato discussed the suspension with MMARising.com today. During pre-fight testing, Damm submitted a sample that was determined to be a substance other than urine. She has incurred a $550 fine in addition to the suspension, but is able to appeal the ruling…

During an intermission at the NAAFS event, just prior to the two title fights and main event bout between Eye and Damm, all six remaining fighters on the card were required to submit to pre-fight drug testing. Each sample came back clean for banned substances, but there were irregularities with Damm’s. The lab conducted a second test on the sample and verified that it was in fact not urine.

“For the chain of command here, we only have one woman inspector,” Profato told MMARising.com. “We really need to get women to go in there [to monitor the urine test], so we had someone who was not an employee of the state but was an unbiased person who had worked for another promotional company. Her statement to me for the chain of custody was that they went in there and she heard [Damm urinating] into the toilet, which didn’t make any sense, but Damm took the [filled] cup and put it on the counter.

“That person then got the cup, and our doctor was waiting right outside the door and she handed it to the doctor,” Profato added. “He sealed it, labelled it and took it over to me. I took it to the lab and released it to them. It was sent to the laboratory for testing. There has to be certain elements in [the sample] in order for it to be considered urine and those elements were not in it. So what we suspended her for is for failing to provide a urine or blood sample. Even the doctor, when he first handed the sample to me, he said, ‘I’m not a lab person, but two things here. One, this is kind of clear, and two, it’s cold!’”

Under OAC law, any fighter who fails a drug test must then pay for the costs of the testing. Damm was suspended for violating Rule 3773-1-12 (F) of the OAC Administrative Codes and incurred a base fine of $300. She will be required to pay an additional $250 to cover the costs of both the first and second lab tests on the sample that she provided.

“The suspension that we’ve given her initially is for six months,” Profato explains. “We sent her a certified letter and she can appeal. We tentatively have a hearing set up for her on August 13th at 10:00 A.M. She can call or contact us if she would like to have the hearing…

Damm returned to Brazil and fought two weeks after her loss to Eye. She defeated Jessica Suelen by first-round TKO on June 15th. Damm is scheduled to face Kalindra Faria in a rematch in the opening round of the MMA Super Heroes women’s flyweight grand prix on July 13th. Promotions in Brazil are not obligated to honour Damm’s OAC suspension, but she will be unable to compete in any ABC member state until her suspension has been lifted or expires.

Damm joins Josh Barnett, Kimo Leopoldo, and Stephan Bonnar in the short list of MMA fighters who have blown drug tests on more than one occasion, so at least she’s in good company. By the way, props to NAAFS for springing drug tests on its fighters during an intermission at the event; I bet Carina was shitting a brick as she scooped up toilet water to use as her “urine sample.” Now if you’ll exucse me, I have a timeline to update…

Vitor Belfort Didn’t Fail His Drug Test at UFC on FX 7…But Somebody Else Might Have


(Belfort is not a “TRT abuser,” okay? He has always treated TRT with the utmost respect and tenderness. / Photo via RyanLoco.com)

On Friday morning, rumors began to spread that Vitor Belfort had failed a drug test for his UFC on FX 7 headlining fight against Michael Bisping last month. Between Belfort’s stammering recent response about TRT and his previous PED-bust in 2006, it was one of those rumors that immediately gained traction because it seemed perfectly believable. But was there any actual truth to it? Well, we have some good news and some bad news. Here’s what UFC president Dana White had to say when asked about the Belfort rumor following the UFC 156 press-conference on Saturday night (transcribed by MMAWeekly and BloodyElbow):

“There was an irregular test. Something was wrong. Whenever something wrong happens, or weird, (the samples) get retested and, usually, it’s not a good thing. It (expletive) was not Vitor Belfort. Yet, right now I bet if you talked to 100 people, 100 people will tell you that Vitor Belfort failed his drug test in Brazil. That’s (expletive)…I do know the results. They’ll be out Monday… [Ed. note: *checks calendar* Sweet!]


(Belfort is not a “TRT abuser,” okay? He has always treated TRT with the utmost respect and tenderness. / Photo via RyanLoco.com)

On Friday morning, rumors began to spread that Vitor Belfort had failed a drug test for his UFC on FX 7 headlining fight against Michael Bisping last month. Between Belfort’s stammering recent response about TRT and his previous PED-bust in 2006, it was one of those rumors that immediately gained traction because it seemed perfectly believable. But was there any actual truth to it? Well, we have some good news and some bad news. Here’s what UFC president Dana White had to say when asked about the Belfort rumor following the UFC 156 press-conference on Saturday night (transcribed by MMAWeekly and BloodyElbow):

“There was an irregular test. Something was wrong. Whenever something wrong happens, or weird, (the samples) get retested and, usually, it’s not a good thing. It (expletive) was not Vitor Belfort. Yet, right now I bet if you talked to 100 people, 100 people will tell you that Vitor Belfort failed his drug test in Brazil. That’s (expletive)…I do know the results. They’ll be out Monday… [Ed. note: *checks calendar* Sweet!]

“That’s crazy, that some rumor from a (expletive) clown with a fake name on Twitter can do that. It’s crazy. Some (expletive) goof on Twitter puts out a tweet, and everybody starts (expletive) throwing these accusations around. I’ve got Michael Bisping (expletive) blow me up at 1 in the morning from England going, ‘Did that (expletive) fail the drug test?’ It’s (expletive) crazy, man.”

Alright, so it looks like the Phenom is out of the woods. But could this “irregular test” mean that somebody else on the card is going to get nailed today? If so, it would already be the third failed drug test this year. Feel free to speculate about the latest drug-cheat’s identity in the comments section, and we’ll update this post as soon as we hear more.

UFC’s New Drug Rules: All Fighters Tested Overseas, No Bonuses Until Tests Are Passed


(“F*ckin’ with your cash is the only thing you kids seem to understand!” / Photo via FCFighter.com)

UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner revealed to MMAJunkie yesterday that the promotion has instituted a pair of new rules to act as deterrents against their fighters using performance enhancing drugs. First, all fighters who compete at international events will now be tested for performance-enhancing drugs. The UFC has traditionally hired independent local facilities to test fighters during events outside of North America, but in the past, only a few fighters per card were usually selected for testing.

The shift in policy may have been spurred by a recent stretch in which the UFC’s independent drug screening busted fighters at three consecutive overseas cards. UFC 153 in Rio de Janeiro — where all fighters were screened for banned substances — resulted in suspensions for Stephan Bonnar (Drostanolone) and Dave Herman (marijuana). A month later, Thiago Silva tested positive for weed at UFC Macao. And finally, Rousimar Palhares and Joey Beltran failed drug tests following UFC on FX 6 in Australia.

The wave of botched tests is an embarrassing trend, and the UFC is clearly trying to get in front of it. Testing all their fighters at international events going forward will send a message to fighters who may have considered rolling the dice with banned substances, thinking that testing policies are a little more lax when formal athletic commissions aren’t running the show.


(“F*ckin’ with your cash is the only thing you kids seem to understand!” / Photo via FCFighter.com)

UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner revealed to MMAJunkie yesterday that the promotion has instituted a pair of new rules to act as deterrents against their fighters using performance enhancing drugs. First, all fighters who compete at international events will now be tested for performance-enhancing drugs. The UFC has traditionally hired independent local facilities to test fighters during events outside of North America, but in the past, only a few fighters per card were usually selected for testing.

The shift in policy may have been spurred by a recent stretch in which the UFC’s independent drug screening busted fighters at three consecutive overseas cards. UFC 153 in Rio de Janeiro — where all fighters were screened for banned substances — resulted in suspensions for Stephan Bonnar (Drostanolone) and Dave Herman (marijuana). A month later, Thiago Silva tested positive for weed at UFC Macao. And finally, Rousimar Palhares and Joey Beltran failed drug tests following UFC on FX 6 in Australia.

The wave of botched tests is an embarrassing trend, and the UFC is clearly trying to get in front of it. Testing all their fighters at international events going forward will send a message to fighters who may have considered rolling the dice with banned substances, thinking that testing policies are a little more lax when formal athletic commissions aren’t running the show.

And if the greater risk of a suspension isn’t enough of a deterrent, Ratner also stated that from now on, the UFC will no longer pay out their end-of-night performance bonuses until drug testing results come back. The policy changes will be in place this weekend at UFC on FX 7: Belfort vs Bisping in Sao Paulo, Brazil. According to MMAJunkie, a new Brazilian commission appointed by the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) will oversee the event.

In 2006, UFC on FX 7 headliner Vitor Belfort tested positive for 4-Hydroxytestosterone following his loss to Dan Henderson at PRIDE 32, and immediately invoked the tainted supplement defense.

Rousimar Palhares, Joey Beltran Fail Drug Tests Following ‘UFC on FX 6? Appearances [UPDATED]


(You know what, bro, put down that birthday cake. You don’t deserve it anymore.)

MMA’s drug-failure tally has gotten off to a fast start in 2013, with two notable fighters already netted by the UFC’s independent testing. Here’s the promotion’s official statement via UFC.com:

“Rousimar Palhares tested positive for elevated testosterone and Joey Beltran tested positive for nandrolone, following their respective bouts at UFC on FX 6 in Australia. The UFC organization has a strict, consistent policy against the use of any illegal and/or performance-enhancing drugs, stimulants or masking agents. Both athletes have agreed to serve a nine-month suspension retroactive to December 14. They must pass a drug test upon completion of the suspension before receiving clearance to compete again.”

Palhares was knocked out by Hector Lombard on the “Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson” main card, marking Toquinho’s second-straight KO loss. Between his losing skid and the fact that this isn’t even his first suspension while under contract with the UFC, Palhares is on very thin ice. As for Beltran, the light-heavyweight slugger defeated Igor Pokrajac by decision during the UFC on FX 6 prelims. That win will likely be changed to a no-contest.

Update: Joey Beltran denies taking any illegal substances, and is laying the groundwork for a tainted supplements defense. His statement (via twitter) is after the jump…


(You know what, bro, put down that birthday cake. You don’t deserve it anymore.)

MMA’s drug-failure tally has gotten off to a fast start in 2013, with two notable fighters already netted by the UFC’s independent testing. Here’s the promotion’s official statement via UFC.com:

“Rousimar Palhares tested positive for elevated testosterone and Joey Beltran tested positive for nandrolone, following their respective bouts at UFC on FX 6 in Australia. The UFC organization has a strict, consistent policy against the use of any illegal and/or performance-enhancing drugs, stimulants or masking agents. Both athletes have agreed to serve a nine-month suspension retroactive to December 14. They must pass a drug test upon completion of the suspension before receiving clearance to compete again.”

Palhares was knocked out by Hector Lombard on the “Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson” main card, marking Toquinho’s second-straight KO loss. Between his losing skid and the fact that this isn’t even his first suspension while under contract with the UFC, Palhares is on very thin ice. As for Beltran, the light-heavyweight slugger defeated Igor Pokrajac by decision during the UFC on FX 6 prelims. That win will likely be changed to a no-contest.

Update: Joey Beltran denies taking any illegal substances, and is laying the groundwork for a tainted supplements defense. His statement (via twitter) is after the jump…

“I can say without a shadow of a doubt I did not inject Nandrolone into my body. I am sorry to my family and friends for the shame this brought to any of you. I promise soon the whole story will be told and I will go through whatever is necessary to find the reason for this positive test. I am at fault for taking a supplement or perhaps combination of something that caused my test result. My team and I will seek the truth. I am sorry once again and truly apologize to the people that matter the most to me. – Joey Beltran“

Shane Carwin and Roy Nelson Pass Their Random NSAC Drug Tests


(“All natural, bro. No steroids. No testosterone. I’ve never hired a nutritionist. I’ve never bought hair conditioner. I ate my dog‘s food once, but it was an accident.” Photo via MMAWeekly)

Unlike some people we know, UFC heavyweights Shane Carwin and Roy Nelson are training without the help of performance-enhancing drugs. According to Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer (via MMAMania), Carwin and Nelson have both tested negative for steroids and diuretics, after being tapped for random testing last month.

Currently babysitting the worst Ultimate Fighter cast of all time, Carwin and Nelson are slated to face off at the surprisingly stacked TUF 16 Finale card on December 15th. Neither fighter has ever failed a drug test in their professional MMA career, though Carwin’s name was previously linked to an illegal steroids ring based in Mobile, Alabama. His manager, Jason Genet, recently gave a full explanation of how that happened, which seems reasonable enough, although that part about Carwin hanging out with Ron Waterman and ripping phone books in half is a little odd, to say the least.


(“All natural, bro. No steroids. No testosterone. I’ve never hired a nutritionist. I’ve never bought hair conditioner. I ate my dog‘s food once, but it was an accident.” Photo via MMAWeekly)

Unlike some people we know, UFC heavyweights Shane Carwin and Roy Nelson are training without the help of performance-enhancing drugs. According to Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer (via MMAMania), Carwin and Nelson have both tested negative for steroids and diuretics, after being tapped for random testing last month.

Currently babysitting the worst Ultimate Fighter cast of all time, Carwin and Nelson are slated to face off at the surprisingly stacked TUF 16 Finale card on December 15th. Neither fighter has ever failed a drug test in their professional MMA career, though Carwin’s name was previously linked to an illegal steroids ring based in Mobile, Alabama. His manager, Jason Genet, recently gave a full explanation of how that happened, which seems reasonable enough, although the part about Carwin hanging out with Ron Waterman and ripping phone books in half is a little questionable, to say the least.

Stephan Bonnar Suspended for One Year Following Failed UFC 153 Drug Test, Dave Herman to Receive Much Weirder Punishment


(Unfortunately for him, Bonnar’s sad puppy face failed to inspire any sympathy.) 

Not that it really matters given his retirement from the sport and all, but according to the UFC’s VP of regulatory affairs, Marc Ratner, the verdict has already been turned in for Stephan Bonnar, who pissed hot after his UFC 153 loss to Anderson Silva. “The American Psycho” will receive a one year suspension as a result of his positive test for Drostanolone. But again, being that Bonnar pulled a Richard Nixon and got the fuck out of office — thereby negating the weight of all possible punishments — we’re sure he won’t be planning on putting up much of a fight. The fact that he has yet to even make a statement regarding his test further solidifies this theory.

But here’s where things get interesting.

Also according to Ratner, the punishment in the case of Dave Herman‘s second failed test for marijuana will not only be a suspension of “months,” but could require him to enter a rehab facility as well.


(Unfortunately for him, Bonnar’s sad puppy face failed to inspire any sympathy.) 

Not that it really matters given his retirement from the sport and all, but according to the UFC’s VP of regulatory affairs, Marc Ratner, the verdict has already been turned in for Stephan Bonnar, who pissed hot after his UFC 153 loss to Anderson Silva. “The American Psycho” will receive a one year suspension as a result of his positive test for Drostanolone. But again, being that Bonnar pulled a Richard Nixon and got the fuck out of office — thereby negating the weight of all possible punishments — we’re sure he won’t be planning on putting up much of a fight. The fact that he has yet to even make a statement regarding his test further solidifies this theory.

But here’s where things get interesting.

Also according to Ratner, the punishment in the case of Dave Herman‘s second failed test for marijuana will not only be a suspension of “months,” but could require him to enter a rehab facility as well.

As he told MMAFighting:

Other sports have a difference between PEDs and recreational drugs.

We feel very strongly that there’s a big difference between PED’s [performance-enhancing drugs] and marijuana. We think the commissions do a good job with PEDs, but we think with marijuana there should be some form of rehab involved, going through that kind of process and learning about it.

Let’s just back the judgmental truck up for a second, Mr. Ratner. If you’re one of the ten remaining people on this earth who thinks that the general public needs to be made more aware of any possible effects/dangers of marijuana, fine. That is clearly not the case for 90% of today’s youth, let alone a grown ass man like Dave Herman, but this is America, and although we may not agree with your assessment, we will defend to the death your right to say it.

But if you are going to declare that a fighter should have to undergo more treatment for a positive marijuana test than for a positive steroid-related test – in a combat sport, mind you — then it really calls to question your judgement as a former executive director of one of the athletic commission’s that are doing such a “good job” controlling steroid usage. While one of the substances you just mentioned allows a person to do little more than make it through a Taco Bell mexican pizza without vomiting, the other has a side effect that includes the word “rage” in the phrase. And you think fighters need to be made more aware of the possible dangers the former could lead to?

I don’t even know anymore. You Taters can take this one.

–J. Jones