Cung Le tests positive for HGH following UFC Fight Night: Macau, suspended for nine months

Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

It appears Michael Bisping was right all along.

Just after a month following their encounter in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Macau, it appears that Cung Le has tested positive for Human Growth Hormone (HGH) and has been suspended for nine months.

The UFC released the news along with a short statement available below:

“UFC middleweight Cung Le tested positive for an excess level of Human Growth Hormone in his system following his fight at UFC Fight Night in Macao, China on August 23. Due to his positive test result, Le was suspended by the UFC and notified that he violated the UFC Fighter Conduct Policy and Promotional Agreement with Zuffa, LLC. The UFC has a strict, consistent policy against the use of any illegal and/or performance-enhancing drugs, stimulants or masking agents by our athletes. Le will serve a nine-month suspension and, at its conclusion, will need to pass a drug test before competing in the UFC again.”

While there is no athletic commission regulating MMA in Macau, the UFC had announced prior to the event that both Bisping and Le would undergo “enhanced” blood and urine testing. The details behind the actual testing was never revealed.

Bisping defeated Le via fourth round TKO after he battered the former Strikeforce champion for the better part of three rounds. Now 2-2 during UFC tenure, Le will complete a nine-month spell on the sidelines before potentially returning to competition.

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About the author

Karim Zidan

Karim Zidan is a investigative reporter and feature writer focusing on the intersection of sports and politics. He has written for BloodyElbow since 2014 and has served as an associate editor since 2016. He also writes for The New York Times and The Guardian. Karim has been invited to speak about his work at numerous universities, including Princeton, and was a panelist at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival and the Oslo Freedom Forum. He also participated in the United Nations counter-terrorism conference in 2021. His reporting on Ramzan Kadyrov’s involvement in MMA, much of which was done for Bloody Elbow, has led to numerous award nominations, and was the basis of an award-winning HBO Real Sports documentary.