UFC Exec: Stephan Bonnar Suspended 1 Year Following Positive Steroid Test at UFC 153

Sherdog.com confirmed the development Tuesday with Marc Ratner, UFC vice president of regulatory affairs.

Bonnar was flagged for drostanolone, an anabolic steroid, following his Oct. 13 appearance at HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro. Bonnar, 35, headlined the event opposite longtime middleweight champion Anderson Silva, who finished “The American Psycho” via first-round technical knockout to close the evening’s pay-per-view broadcast.

Should Bonnar decide to cut his retirement short, the American may fight in the UFC no earlier than Oct. 13, 2013.

Heavyweight competitor Dave Herman also failed his UFC 153 post-fight drug test. Herman was flagged for marijuana metabolites and was defeated by returning veteran Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, who submitted Herman with an armbar late in the second round.

While MMA is regulated in the United States by individual state athletic commissions, Brazil still lacks a governing body to perform those duties. As such, the UFC has served as its own regulator in its recent trips to Brazil, including UFC 153. Ratner told Sherdog that Herman’s suspension was to-be-determined and that neither Herman nor Bonnar has been fined. According to a statement recently released on UFC.com, both fighters have admitted to taking banned substances and have agreed to suspensions.