Tag: MMA steroid busts

Yoel Romero Hit with “Potential USADA Violation” + An Update to Our Steroid Bust Timeline


(“Gay Jesus, why you have forsaken me yet again?”)

Despite officially being rolled out on July 1st, the UFC’s new, comprehensive drug-testing policy only really went into effect at the start of the new year, according to those in the know. Less than a month later, it appears that USADA has already nabbed its first violator in the form of top middleweight contender Yoel Romero.

The post Yoel Romero Hit with “Potential USADA Violation” + An Update to Our Steroid Bust Timeline appeared first on Cagepotato.


(“Gay Jesus, why you have forsaken me yet again?”)

Despite officially being rolled out on July 1st, the UFC’s new, comprehensive drug-testing policy only really went into effect at the start of the new year, according to those in the know. Less than a month later, it appears that USADA has already nabbed its first violator in the form of top middleweight contender Yoel Romero.

Last night, the United States Anti-Doping Agency informed Romero of a “potential violation,” claiming that Romero had flunked one of their out-of-competition tests. While the exact substance Romero tested positive for has yet to be revealed, MMAJunkie’s Steven Marrocco took to Twitter to get the rumor mill turning.

“Hearing that Romero popped for a designer steroid – a peptide that increases testosterone production,” wrote Marrocco.

As expected, the UFC released an obligatory statement on Romero’s violation via their website last night.

The UFC organization was notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) informed Yoel Romero of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collection.

USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case involving Romero. Additional information will be provided at the appropriate time as the process moves forward.

*Yawn*

If you’re interested in hearing some actually interesting thoughts on Romero’s potential violation, look no further than Tim Kennedy, who might still be a little bitter over his controversial loss to Romero at UFC 178.

In fact, the reaction to Romero’s positive test has been pretty similar across the board, with even Michael Bisping piling on Kennedy’s verbal assault.

“So Yoel tests positive, not surprised at all #roider of God is a cheating scumbag, Tweeted Bisping, “@TimKennedyMMA I feel ur pain having been there before.”

Newly-crowned middleweight champion Luke Rockhold wasn’t far behind, writing “I’m sick of all these cheaters. It’s pathetic, man up or get the fuck out.”

As of now, Romero has yet to comment on the issue, but as a former Olympian and one of the names on the short list of middleweight contenders, it’s safe to say that his violation, if proven, will have dire consequences.

Related: In light of the Romero news, we’ve gone ahead and updated our MMA Steroid Busts Timeline to include all of 2015′s violators. We’ll hold off on adding Romero to the list until more information is supplied, but check it out and let us know if there’s anyone we missed.

The post Yoel Romero Hit with “Potential USADA Violation” + An Update to Our Steroid Bust Timeline appeared first on Cagepotato.

Steroid Bust of the Day: Brian Ortega (?) Tests Positive for Drostanolone Following UFC on FOX 12 Win Over Mike de la Torre


(What shame you have brought upon your family’s great name, Brian.)

The Great Steroid Inquisition of 2014 rolls on, Nation, as undefeated featherweight Brian “T-City” (eesh) Ortega has just become the latest UFC fighter to fail a drug test for anabolic steroids, testing positive for Drostanolone following his UFC on FOX 12 victory over Mike de la Torre. His failed test comes less than a month after Kevin Casey was busted for the same drug (along with Robert Drysdale, who was busted for elevated testosterone again) and less than one week after Mike King was similarly caught red-handed.

After compiling an 8-0 record on the RITC and RFA circuit, Ortega was called up to the big leagues to face de la Torre in his UFC debut. He submitted Torre via rear-naked choke within in under two minutes.

If you ask me, this whole thing is a crock of bullsh*t. We all know that steroids don’t matter in Jiu-Jitsu; Ralek Gracie has already proven this, as has Chael Sonnen. Steroids just make you get tired quicker, bro, and your recovery time just goes, like…

As a result of the failed test, Ortega’s victory over de la Torre has been changed to a no-contest. He has also been fined $2,500 and suspended for nine months. My guess is he won’t be receiving a call from the UFC when those nine months are up. Sucks, bro.

–J. Jones


(What shame you have brought upon your family’s great name, Brian.)

The Great Steroid Inquisition of 2014 rolls on, Nation, as undefeated featherweight Brian “T-City” (eesh) Ortega has just become the latest UFC fighter to fail a drug test for anabolic steroids, testing positive for Drostanolone following his UFC on FOX 12 victory over Mike de la Torre. His failed test comes less than a month after Kevin Casey was busted for the same drug (along with Robert Drysdale, who was busted for elevated testosterone again) and less than one week after Mike King was similarly caught red-handed.

After compiling an 8-0 record on the RITC and RFA circuit, Ortega was called up to the big leagues to face de la Torre in his UFC debut. He submitted Torre via rear-naked choke within in under two minutes.

If you ask me, this whole thing is a crock of bullsh*t. We all know that steroids don’t matter in Jiu-Jitsu; Ralek Gracie has already proven this, as has Chael Sonnen. Steroids just make you get tired quicker, bro, and your recovery time just goes, like…

As a result of the failed test, Ortega’s victory over de la Torre has been changed to a no-contest. He has also been fined $2,500 and suspended for nine months. My guess is he won’t be receiving a call from the UFC when those nine months are up. Sucks, bro.

–J. Jones

UFC Drug-Fail Alert: Kevin Casey Tests Positive for Steroids, Robert Drysdale Tests Positive for Elevated Testosterone (Again)

(And yet, this is still the most shameful thing that Kevin Casey has ever done.)

Drug testing at the UFC’s back-to-back events in Las Vegas earlier this month caught two more PED-cheaters, who will be facing fines, suspensions, and the overturning of their victories. MMA Junkie broke the news yesterday evening.

We’ll begin with middleweight Kevin Casey, who tested positive for the anabolic steroid drostanolone following his 61-second TKO of Bubba Bush in the curtain-jerking match at UFC 175. The fight represented a second chance in the UFC for “King” Casey, who bounced out of the promotion last year after a stint on TUF 17. Unfortunately, Casey has pissed all over that chance, and might find himself on the chopping block after this one.

Fun fact: Though 2014 has been plagued by positive drug tests for elevated testosterone, HGH, EPO, hCG, and assorted hormone regulators and diuretics, this is the first time all year that a fighter has tested positive for old-school steroids. UPDATE: I was wrong. Bellator welterweight Herman Terrado tested positive for the same steroid in April.

And in “enough testosterone to choke a horse” news…


(And yet, this is still the most shameful thing that Kevin Casey has ever done.)

Drug testing at the UFC’s back-to-back events in Las Vegas earlier this month caught two more PED-cheaters, who will be facing fines, suspensions, and the overturning of their victories, pending a formal hearing. MMA Junkie broke the news yesterday evening.

We’ll begin with middleweight Kevin Casey, who tested positive for the anabolic steroid drostanolone following his 61-second TKO of Bubba Bush in the curtain-jerking match at UFC 175 on July 5th. The fight represented a second chance in the UFC for “King” Casey, who bounced out of the promotion last year after a stint on TUF 17. Unfortunately, Casey has pissed all over that chance, and might find himself on the chopping block after this one.

Fun fact: Though 2014 has been plagued by positive drug tests for elevated testosterone, HGH, EPO, hCG, and assorted hormone regulators and diuretics, this is the first time all year that a fighter has tested positive for old-school steroids. UPDATE: I was wrong. Bellator welterweight Herman Terrado tested positive for the same steroid in April.

And in “enough testosterone to choke a horse” news, light-heavyweight jiu-jitsu phenom Robert Drysdale was caught with an elevated testosterone-to-epitestosterone (T/E) ratio of 12:1 following his first-round submission win over Keith Berish at the TUF 19 Finale on July 6th. The allowed ratio in Nevada is 6:1, which is already a much higher T/E ratio than any human being should have naturally.

Even though Drysdale’s appearance at the TUF 19 Finale marked his UFC debut, it’s actually the second drug test he’s failed for elevated testosterone. In 2013, Drysdale was denied a license to compete at UFC 167 after an out-of-competition drug test came back with a whopping 19.4:1 testosterone-to-epitestosterone (T/E) ratio. Following his first failed drug test, Drysdale claimed that he was only on TRT for a little over a month, and he wasn’t on it long enough to feel much of an effect. (“I will not take an ounce of blame for dishonesty, because there was no dishonesty on my part. I would take some blame for not understanding the process.”)

I wonder how much blame Drysdale will accept for this one. At any rate, having more failed drug tests than actual fights in the UFC is a bad look. We’ll keep you posted when punishments are officially handed down for Drysdale and Casey.

In the wake of this news, we’ve made a long-overdue update to our MMA and Testosterone Bust Timeline, which turned five years old yesterday. Time flies when you’re juiced to the gills.

Understatement of the Day: Stephan Bonnar “F*cked Up” Taking Steroids Prior to UFC 153


(“I swear to God, you guys, I had an injury THIS BIG.” Photo courtesy of Getty Images.) 

It’s weird to think about, but the fallout from Stephan Bonnar’s second post-fight steroid bust at UFC 153 has almost been completely washed over by the MMA community. Although his one-year suspension was obviously negated by the fact that he retired from the sport shortly thereafter, even UFC President Dana White — who has been in Bonnar’s corner ever since his legendary fight with Forrest Griffin at the TUF 1 Finale — has all but refused to comment on the situation.

And as for Bonnar? Well, the normally outspoken light heavyweight has been similarly silent — likely due in part to the birth of his son — since exiting the UFC on such terrible terms. Until now, that is.

For the first time since the fight itself, Bonnar addressed the factors that led him to get popped for Drostanolone following UFC 153 during an interview on The MMA Hour (Author’s note: WHAT ABOUT US, STEPHAN?). Although Stephan took full responsibility for his actions, his reasoning for why he fell back on the juice yet again didn’t exactly absolve him of all guilt (via MMAFighting):

…after being shelved for months and being advised to retire by UFC president Dana White, he had given up hope of closing out his career with a major fight…But then, out of the blue, the semi-retired fighter got the phone call he never thought was coming. After about 10 months without a fight, he was being asked to compete against the the sport’s pound-for-pound king, Anderson Silva.

Believe it or not, there are some therapeutic uses to some of the banned substances,” he said. “Bottom line, I wanted to get my strength back. I was very weak. My body didn’t feel good, my joints didn’t feel good. That was my goal.

Poor Stephan; the dude spent upwards of seven years fighting for the UFC and never realized that there was a completely legal way to deal with the aging process.

More from the interview after the jump. 


(“I swear to God, you guys, I had an injury THIS BIG.” Photo courtesy of Getty Images.) 

It’s weird to think about, but the fallout from Stephan Bonnar’s second post-fight steroid bust at UFC 153 has almost been completely washed over by the MMA community. Although his one-year suspension was obviously negated by the fact that he retired from the sport shortly thereafter, even UFC President Dana White — who has been in Bonnar’s corner ever since his legendary fight with Forrest Griffin at the TUF 1 Finale – has all but refused to comment on the situation.

And as for Bonnar? Well, the normally outspoken light heavyweight has been similarly silent — likely due in part to the birth of his son — since exiting the UFC on such terrible terms. Until now, that is.

For the first time since the fight itself, Bonnar addressed the factors that led him to get popped for Drostanolone following UFC 153 during an interview on The MMA Hour (Author’s note: WHAT ABOUT US, STEPHAN?). Although Stephan took full responsibility for his actions, his reasoning for why he fell back on the juice yet again didn’t exactly absolve him of all guilt (via MMAFighting):

…after being shelved for months and being advised to retire by UFC president Dana White, he had given up hope of closing out his career with a major fight…But then, out of the blue, the semi-retired fighter got the phone call he never thought was coming. After about 10 months without a fight, he was being asked to compete against the the sport’s pound-for-pound king, Anderson Silva.

Believe it or not, there are some therapeutic uses to some of the banned substances,” he said. “Bottom line, I wanted to get my strength back. I was very weak. My body didn’t feel good, my joints didn’t feel good. That was my goal.

Poor Stephan; the dude spent upwards of seven years fighting for the UFC and never realized that there was a completely legal way to deal with the aging process.

According to Bonnar, the hardest thing he has had to deal with since leaving the UFC in disgrace hasn’t been the dirty looks or vehemently-worded tweets from fans, but the distance that has grown between himself and the organization he called home for the majority of his MMA career:

You know, there’s no way if I thought there was any possibility of it showing up, that I would have taken the fight. I finally get the opportunity I’ve been begging for in vain for so long. I thought I’d go out there and put on a better fight, but then stuff like this happens. It’s like I came to his house and took a s— on his carpet. It just kills me. I’m like, ‘Come on, Dana, give me this opportunity,’ and then I make him look like that. I’m really sorry.

The only question that remains is: Where does Bonnar go from here? Well, he’s come up with a simple solution for that:

I feel the best thing for me to do is to respectfully piss off. It’s not to sit there and go, ‘Oh, come on Dana, give me another chance.’ I f—– up and I’ll put my tail between my legs and leave you guys alone for a while. 

Farewell for now, dearest Stephan. At least we’ll always have these memories…

–J. Jones

Breaking: Stephan Bonnar and Dave Herman Fail UFC 153 Drug Tests


(…but damn, did he look good doing it.)

As first reported by MMAJunkie, Stephan Bonnar and Dave Herman both tested positive for banned substances in their UFC 153 post-fight drug screenings. With no athletic commission in place in Brazil, the UFC independently tested all 24 fighters who competed at the October 13th card at Rio de Janeiro’s HSBC Arena — and unfortunately nailed a pair of repeat offenders.

Bonnar, who announced his retirement from MMA earlier this week, tested positive for the anabolic steroid Drostanolone following his TKO loss to Anderson Silva in UFC 153’s main event. It is the second steroid bust for Bonnar, who was suspended for nine months after popping positive for Boldenone in 2006. Now that Bonnar is retired from the sport, a suspension won’t be much of a punishment, though it certainly puts a black mark on the end of a crowd-pleasing career inside the Octagon. (Conspiracy theory time: Bonnar knew he’d be retiring after the Silva fight, and he simply didn’t give a fuck.)

As for the one they call Pee Wee…


(…but damn, did he look good doing it.)

As first reported by MMAJunkie, Stephan Bonnar and Dave Herman both tested positive for banned substances in their UFC 153 post-fight drug screenings. With no athletic commission in place in Brazil, the UFC independently tested all 24 fighters who competed at the October 13th card at Rio de Janeiro’s HSBC Arena — and unfortunately nailed a pair of repeat offenders.

Bonnar, who announced his retirement from MMA earlier this week, tested positive for the anabolic steroid Drostanolone following his TKO loss to Anderson Silva in UFC 153′s main event. It is the second steroid bust for Bonnar, who was suspended for nine months after popping positive for Boldenone in 2006. Now that Bonnar is retired from the sport, a suspension won’t be much of a punishment, though it certainly puts a black mark on the end of a crowd-pleasing career inside the Octagon. (Conspiracy theory time: Bonnar knew he’d be retiring after the Silva fight, and he simply didn’t give a fuck.)

As for the one they call Pee Wee…

Dave Herman was flagged for marijuana metabolites following his loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Last year, Herman was pulled from a scheduled bout with Mike Russow due to a positive test result for marijuana. Herman denied using the sweet leaf at the time, but in light of this second positive test, it’s probably safe to assume that he’s a pothead. And since the loss to Big Nog was Herman’s third straight in the promotion, he was probably heading out the door anyway.

UFC exec Marc Ratner said that punishments for the fighters will be issued sometime next week.

Cris Cyborg Tests Positive for Steroids, Stripped of Strikeforce Title

Bad news for…well, everybody, really. The California State Athletic Commission put out a press release earlier today announcing that Strikeforce featherwight champion Cristiane “Cris Cyborg” Santos — the most dominant female fighter in the history of the sport — has tested positive for an anabolic steroid. As a result, her license has been suspended, and the result of her last win over Hiroko Yamanaka on December 17th will be changed to a no-contest. Here’s the full release via BloodyElbow:

CALIFORNIA STATE ATHLETIC COMMISSION SUSPENDS LICENSE OF FIGHTER CRISTIANE JUSTINO SANTOS – a.k.a. CRIS CYBORG

Mixed Martial Arts fighter tested positive for anabolic steroid in December 16, 2011 test

The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) has suspended the license of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Cristiane Justino Santos, better known in MMA circles as Cris Cyborg, and has fined her $2,500 as the result of a positive test for a banned substance.

Santos’ December 16, 2011 drug test came back positive for stanozolol metabolites. CSAC learned of the test results December 23, 2011 and suspended Santos’s license, with the suspension applied retroactively to December 16, 2011. In accordance with Rule 368, the result of her last fight between Hiroko Yamanaka will be changed to a “No Decision”.

“Our primary concern is for the health and safety of fighters,” said CSAC Executive Officer George Dodd. “Anabolic agents and other banned substances put not only the users of those agents at risk, but their opponents as well. The commission simply will not tolerate their use.”

Bad news for…well, everybody, really. The California State Athletic Commission put out a press release earlier today announcing that Strikeforce featherwight champion Cristiane “Cris Cyborg” Santos — the most dominant female fighter in the history of the sport — has tested positive for an anabolic steroid. As a result, her license has been suspended, and the result of her last win over Hiroko Yamanaka on December 17th will be changed to a no-contest. Here’s the full release via BloodyElbow:

CALIFORNIA STATE ATHLETIC COMMISSION SUSPENDS LICENSE OF FIGHTER CRISTIANE JUSTINO SANTOS – a.k.a. CRIS CYBORG

Mixed Martial Arts fighter tested positive for anabolic steroid in December 16, 2011 test

The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) has suspended the license of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Cristiane Justino Santos, better known in MMA circles as Cris Cyborg, and has fined her $2,500 as the result of a positive test for a banned substance.

Santos’ December 16, 2011 drug test came back positive for stanozolol metabolites. CSAC learned of the test results December 23, 2011 and suspended Santos’s license, with the suspension applied retroactively to December 16, 2011. In accordance with Rule 368, the result of her last fight between Hiroko Yamanaka will be changed to a “No Decision”.

“Our primary concern is for the health and safety of fighters,” said CSAC Executive Officer George Dodd. “Anabolic agents and other banned substances put not only the users of those agents at risk, but their opponents as well. The commission simply will not tolerate their use.”

The use of certain substances, including anabolic steroids, is prohibited under the Commission’s regulations, and CSAC has among the toughest drug testing standards of any Athletic Commission in the country. It is the only commission that requires urine samples to be taken in the presence of a commission representative prior to a bout.

Santos’s provision of a urine sample was observed by a CSAC representative and the sample was sent to the World Anti-doping Agency test facility at the University of California, Los Angeles. Santos has the right to appeal the suspension of her license.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker responded with the following official statement:

“Strikeforce has not seen the test results regarding Ms. Santos. However, we have a consistent and strong stance against any use of performance-enhancing drugs. We also have a long history of supporting effective drug testing of athletes by authorized regulatory bodies. Therefore, we will closely monitor the matter and will work with the California State Athletic Commission regarding any information we may be asked to provide. We also recognize that Ms. Santos has administrative process rights under California law and we hope that she is not prejudged before she has the opportunity to exercise such rights.”

UFC president Dana White added on ESPN radio that Santos’s positive drug test will cost her the Strikeforce featherweight title, and will effectively lead to the end of the women’s 145-pound division:

“We were going to hold that division and just do fights with ‘Cyborg’ whenever there was a new contender,” White told ESPN Radio on Friday. “She’s getting stripped of the title. I don’t know. We’ll see what happens.”

What a massive blow to women’s MMA, and the legacy of a fearsome fighter. We expect Santos to appeal the suspension — because that’s what fighters do — and we’ve been told that we’ll be getting a statement from her camp shortly.