CEO Scott Coker declares that ‘drug use will not be tolerated’ following four fighters failed drug tests at Bellator 127

In a surprising turn of events, four fighters on the Bellator 127 fight card tested positive for various illegal substances and have been handed…

By: Karim Zidan | 9 years ago
CEO Scott Coker declares that ‘drug use will not be tolerated’ following four fighters failed drug tests at Bellator 127
Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

In a surprising turn of events, four fighters on the Bellator 127 fight card tested positive for various illegal substances and have been handed accompanying suspensions.

The most notable of these fighters is veteran Rob Emerson, who tested positive for the prescription drug Provigil (Modafinil), which has been banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for a decade.

Others who tested positive were Keith Berry and Nick Moghaddam, who both tested positive for marijuana and elevated testosterone levels, and Fernando Gonzalez, who tested positive for cannabinoids.

There has been official word regarding who, if any, of the fighters involved will appeal their suspension with the California State Athletic Commission.

Shortly following the revelation, Coker commented in a press release, where he stated, “drug use will simply not be tolerated” under the new management.

“I want to make very clear that under new management, Bellator will simply not stand for performance enhancing drugs inside our cage,” said Coker said. “We fully support the California State Athletic Commission in their process, and standby any disciplinary action handed out by Commissioner Andy Foster and the CSAC. Fans, media and our athletes need to have a clear understanding that drug use will simply not be tolerated by Bellator.”

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About the author
Karim Zidan
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.

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