The USADA handed down a six month suspension to four UFC fighters, Nicco Montano, Augusto Mendes, Marvin Vettori, and Sean O’Malley. Each fighter tested positive for trace amounts of ostarine. O'Malley has completed his suspension and Montano's will be completed next month. What's odd is that ostarine isn't approved for human consumption in any country and apparently, the fighters were unknowingly taking contaminated supplements. The USADA can suspend someone for three years if they find that the athlete intentionally used the banned substance, but here the USADA determined that wasn't the case which is why they were given a shorter suspension. Does that still seem harsh? The positive PED samples were derived from out-of-competition tests and Mendes and Vettori haven't fought in a match since April of last year.

Yes, that seems harsh. They can't prove intent yet they want to charge them with something anyway. The question I have is, why go after fighters that haven't been active for a whole year? Don't they have more pressing issues than fighters who don't fight?

I undertsand that if they don't keep a tight lid on doping that it will get out of hand, but this is going too far. If it can be proven that the fighters didn't know the supplements were laced then they at least deserve an apology.

Lots of supplements are laced and over the years, many, many, many athletes have failed drug tests because they took supplements, used creams (Brock Lesnar), or whatever. It's not like fighters don't have notice that they're risking a ban when they take something. So why does anyone do it? I think some of them are taking an educated gamble. Some of them know that the seemingly innocent supplement also has enough of a PED to give them an edge and if the fighter doesn't know it, the trainer probably does. So they're just rolling the dice that they won't be tested or that it'll be out of their system in time for the test. Don't forget that the UFC can grant exemptions and it's not like all athletes are tested anyway. I'm sure some are completely innocent and some are not.

 

Not punishing them wouldn't be fair to the other fighters who didn't use the PED and are perhaps at a disadvantage because they followed the rules. The USADA at least gives the athletes a chance to show that the legal supplement was spiked with a PED. It's usually called adulterated, mislabeled, or something of that nature. The FDA busts supplement makers all the time. When the athlete produces the supplement, the USADA gives them a lighter suspension and the whole thing allows those fighters to clear their names. They can claim they weren't aware the supplements were adulterated. And it would be darn hard for anyone to prove otherwise.

I think the USADA's determinations are meant to do our heads in. Tom Lawlor popped for the same banned substance as those other four UFC fighters. Likewise, he wasn't found to have knowingly procured ostarine, but the USADA still suspended him for two years. So perhaps the other four fighters should count themselves lucky. Then again, the six month suspension does seem harsh when you consider that Jon Jones has failed multiple drug tests and sometimes goes unpunished. There's little consistency to the USADA's decisions.

Some fighters pay off the USADA better than others. I know it's speculative, but what other logical conclusion can someone draw here?

 

I could be wrong, but I'm probably not.

If I was USDA I would want them punished, if only so no other fighter could claim they were doing it unknowingly. Harsh? Yep, but it's why I was a shite mod. :lol