Rousimar Palhares has spoken for the first time on his failed drug test result following his fight against Hector Lombard in December. The Brazilian has denied he took any banned substances knowingly, but has accepted his nine-month suspension nonethel…
RousimarPalhares has spoken for the first time on his failed drug test result following his fight against Hector Lombard in December.
The Brazilian has denied he took any banned substances knowingly, but has accepted his nine-month suspension nonetheless.
I’ve always been extremely regimented with my diet and would not use anything that could harm my body or my performance inside the octagon… And it wasn‘t different this time. I never had the intention to cheat. I’ve got almost 30 fights in my career, most of them in the UFC. I have been subjected to several surprise tests, and there was never anything wrong. Besides, I knew that I would be tested after the fight in Australia because it is standard in the UFC. I have a clear conscience, but accepted the punishment. The rules are there for everyone and must be followed.
Palhares says that he will consult with his doctor and go through all the food and supplements he took in the run-up to the fight to see what went wrong.
The Brazilian fought Lombard at UFC on FX 6 in Australia, where he lost the fight by first-round knockout. After the fight he tested for an elevated testosterone/epitestosterone ratio, which is a sign of steroid use.
In the average male, this ratio is usually 1:1. Some sports bodies allow up to 4:1. However, Palhares’ ratio was 9:1.
Palhareswasn’t the only fighter to fail a drug test on the night. Light heavyweight Joey Beltran, who beat Igor Pokrajac by decision, tested positive for Nandrolone after the fight. He also now faces a nine-month suspension.
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 nandr…
Thursday, the drug tests from UFC on FX 6 came back and tattled on a pair of UFC notables: Joey Beltran and RousimarPalhares.
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.
RousimarPalhares‘ T/E ratio was over 9/1, which is more than double the WADA approved limit of 4/1
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.
RousimarPalhares 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. ChaelSonnenand 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 VitorBelfort 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.
According to MMAweekly.com, both Rousimar Palhares and Joey Beltran have failed their UFC on FX 6 drug tests.Beltran tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid nandrolone. His UFC on FX 6 win over Igor Pokrajac has been changed to a no-c…
Beltran tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid nandrolone. His UFC on FX 6 win over Igor Pokrajac has been changed to a no-contest. He has also been hit with a nine-month suspension.
Had he not failed his drug test, the “win” over Pokrajac would’ve been Beltran’s first light heavyweight victory in the UFC.
While Palhares didn’t test positive for any anabolic steroids, his test did display elevated levels of testosterone—testosterone that didn’t help him avoid a KO loss to Hector Lombard. Palhares, too, has been suspended for nine months.
UFC officials had this to say on the matter:
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.
The UFC uncovering cheats shows they are capable of keeping their own house in order. After all, UFC on FX 6 took place in Australia, which means that drug testing was the work of UFC officials rather than of any athletic commission.
If the UFC plans to do even more work overseas, their testing will need to be stern and consistent. Catching two guilty fighters shows they have the abilities to do just that.
(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.”
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.”
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“
At The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale, Roy Nelson became a back-to-back winner for the first time since he knocked out Stefan Struve in March 2010. It didn’t come against opposing The Ultimate Fighter coach Shane Carwin, but Nelson still looked impressive …
At The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale, Roy Nelson became a back-to-back winner for the first time since he knocked out Stefan Struve in March 2010. It didn’t come against opposing The Ultimate Fighter coach Shane Carwin, but Nelson still looked impressive in stopping Matt Mitrione in under three minutes.
A day earlier, Ross Pearson defeated George Sotiropoulos in a battle between The Ultimate Fighter: Smashes coaches.
Saturday’s event also saw Colton Smith control Mike Ricci on the ground to become the newest winner of The Ultimate Fighter reality series. As a result, Smith has earned a six-figure contract with the world’s premier MMA organization.
On Friday, Norman Parke and Robert Whittaker became the winners from the first season of The Ultimate Fighter: Smashes.
The fight cards were packed with a number of other exciting moments as well. So, let’s take a look at the best of worst from UFC on FX 6 and The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale.
During his three-year run as the Bellator Middleweight Champion, fans had to hear a constant barrage of commentary from Jimmy Smith and Sean Wheelock, who made claims that Hector Lombard was one of the top middleweights in the world. They’d praise…
During his three-year run as the Bellator Middleweight Champion, fans had to hear a constant barrage of commentary from Jimmy Smith and Sean Wheelock, who made claims that Hector Lombard was one of the top middleweights in the world.
They’d praise his five-year undefeated run and his penchant for stopping fights in the most violent manner. They’d argue that his 25-straight fights without a loss somehow made him the Bellator equivalent of Anderson Silva.
And the sad thing is that Zuffa bought into the hype.
A couple months ago, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney released some details of the UFC’s contract offer to Lombard. He claimed that Lombard received a $400k signing bonus, a starting purse of $300k and PPV points—which would have been fiscally irresponsible to match.
Lombard made his UFC debut at UFC 149 against Tim Boetsch, replacing Michael Bisping, who was forced to withdraw due to injury. Boetsch was able to land more than double the significant strikes and earned a split decision victory over the Cuban judoka.
The stats don’t tell the entire story.
Lombard failed to throw any combinations. At no point did he double up a jab or try and make Boetsch guess what strike came next. Heck, I can’t remember him throwing a single straight punch through 15 minutes.
Instead, he threw looping hook after looping hook, connecting on only 34% of significant strikes thrown. In fact, the only positive statistic for Lombard was he prevented all nine of Boetsch‘s takedown attempts.
This past weekend at The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes Finale aka UFC on FX 6, Lombard faced an over-matched Rousimar “Toquinho” Palhares. It was clear that Palhares‘ sole path to victory was scoring a takedown and finishing with a leg lock.
Lombard proved his worth with a first-round knockout that put Palhares to sleep. It was the stoppage that fans expected in his UFC debut.
After the bout, Lombard called out Michael Bisping in a post-fight interview with Jon Anik. This got me thinking. Can Hector Lombard actually compete at the top of the UFC’s middleweight division? Like, for real?
While fans love to discuss the apparent lack of depth at 185, I’d argue that it’s deeper than it’s ever been. Gone are the days where Patrick Côté and Thales Leites “earned” title shots with wins over Drew McFedries.
And the top of the division is a shark tank of talent with several fighters all justified in demanding a shot at the belt.
Let’s take a quick look at the top 10 fighters in the UFC’s middleweight division and how Lombard would fare against them. Out of fairness to Lombard, I won’t include Strikeforce fighters such as Luke Rockhold and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza.
Anderson Silva:LOL. C’mon, stop. The only thing these two have in common is an extended winning streak. The difference is that Silva’s came against top competition and Lombard’s came against Alexander Shlemenko and Joe Doerksen.
ChaelSonnen:Chael is by far one of the best wrestlers in the UFC. Ever. He’s been able to outwrestle everyone he’s faced in the UFC and is relentless on the ground. His one kryptonite is his submission defense and even then, Lombard isn’t throwing up triangles off his back.
Chris Weidman: The heir apparent to the UFC’s middleweight strap. He’s made significant improvements in his striking and was able to take Mark Munoz down when they fought this past summer. There’s no doubts that Weidman could put Lombard on his back and keep him there.
Tim Boetsch: We saw how this played out. It’d likely be the same result again. Lombard didn’t show much in the fight besides takedown defense.
YushinOkami: There was a time when the consensus considered YushinOkami the No. 2 middleweight in the world. He’s strong in the clinch and has worked on improving his striking to the point where he’s got solid boxing. There’s little question he’d be able to own the body lock with Lombard.
Michael Bisping: The man that Lombard wants next. The man who is one of the most under appreciated fighters in the UFC. Love him or hate him, Michael Bisping is one of the top guys. He has the footwork and combinations to give Lombard fits. He’ll win by outworking the Cuban.
VitorBelfort:Belfort is currently scheduled to face Michael Bisping. He has some of the fastest hands in the division and like a good bourbon, he’s gotten better with age. Sure, Lombard could clip him, but it’s more likely that Belfort beats him up from range with straight punches.
Mark Munoz: The Mark Munoz hype train got derailed after he suffered an epic KO loss at the hands of Chris Weidman. But he’s still one of the best middleweights in the division. Of everyone in the top 10, I think that Lombard has the best shot at beating Munoz—but not by much. It’ll come down to his ability to land the big punch.
Alan Belcher:Belcher is an interesting case in the UFC’s middleweight division. It seems like fans are just waiting for him to finally fulfill his destiny of being the champion. He has the striking, wrestling and grappling to wear the gold. He also possesses a crazy chin and won’t get caught with a looping hook from Lombard. This is one of those un-winnable fights in the UFC for Hector Lombard.
Brian Stann: Another winnable fight for Hector Lombard, but not because he has the power to put Stann to sleep. Lombard’s clear advantage is in the clinch, where his judo will overwhelm Stann. The issue for Lombard will be dealing with Stann‘s power and footwork, as well as his reach. It’s winnable, but not a gimme.
And just to be kind of a jerk, I’ll include someone outside of the top 10.
ConstantinosPhilippou: While driving, I was thinking about fighters outside of the UFC’s Top 10 that would present a challenge for Lombard. It’s my belief that Philippou has the skill set to be an absolute nightmare for a brawler like Lombard. He has solid grappling from training with Matt Serra and Chris Weidman, as well as the striking to stay on the outside. He very well could overwhelm the former Bellator champion to a decision victory.
After taking a look at the Top 10 middleweights in the UFC, there are only two fights that are winnable for Lombard. Fights with Weidman and Bisping sound great on paper, but there’s just too great a distance in skills.
Even fights with Stann and Munoz, two fighters on the bottom of the Top 10, aren’t guaranteed wins. And a fight with ConstantinosPhilippou? To be honest, I’d lay money on Philippou—if the line was right and I would do so with confidence.
Hector Lombard is a solid fighter, but his 25-fight unbeaten streak was done so against regional level talent. No offense to those in Bellator, but there’s a big difference in competition.
Being the biggest fish in a small pond is nice, but right now he’s a minnow swimming around aimlessly in an ocean of killers.
The reality is that he’s a blown up welterweight fighting way outside of his natural weight class. He has a better chance of hanging with Rory MacDonald than he does with Michael Bisping. Basically what I’m trying to say is, let’s not fool ourselves. Hector Lombard has reached his ceiling as a UFC middleweight.
During his three-year run as the