As if failing one drug test wasn’t enough for former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, he doubled down and failed his in-competition one on the night of UFC 200, and for the same substance as his June 28th out-of-competition sample. The UFC announced the news in a press release on Tuesday afternoon, which you can read in its entirety in the text below.
“The UFC organization was notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Brock Lesnar that his in-competition sample collection from July 9, 2016, at UFC 200, has tested positive for the same substance as his previously announced out-of-competition collection on June 28, 2016.
“USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case. It is important to note that, under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, there is a full fair legal review process that is afforded to all athletes before any sanctions are imposed. The Nevada State Athletic Commission also retains jurisdiction over this matter as the sample collection was performed at UFC 200 in Las Vegas.
“Consistent with all previous potential anti-doping violations, additional information will be provided at the appropriate time as the process moves forward.”
We still do not know what the banned substance in question is, and Lesnar hasn’t gone public with what he tested positive for. After news of his out-of-competition failure broke last Friday, Lesnar said that he and his team would “get to the bottom of this.” USADA spokesperson Ryan Madden also noted that Lesnar had passed all other out-of-competition drug tests except the one taken on June 28th.
Lesnar defeated Mark Hunt by unanimous decision in the UFC 200 co-main event. In theory, as was the case for Gleison Tibau against Abel Trujillo, the USADA rules (Article 10.1) open up the possibility that Lesnar’s win could be overturned to a DQ loss, while Hunt gets the victory. For what it’s worth, Hunt said he wants half of Lesnar’s $2.5 million purse (which he then changed to 100% of it), or else he wants to be released from the UFC.
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