UFC Fighter Dennis Siver Says Failed Drug Test Due to Gross Negligence, Not Doping

Dennis Siver tested positive for hCG following his victory over Manny Gamburyan at UFC 168 on Dec. 28 in Las Vegas.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission on March 15 confirmed Siver’s positive test to MMAWeekly.com.

HCG is human chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone produced during pregnancy, according to the Mayo Clinic. As a prescription medication, HCG is used mainly to treat fertility issues.  It has also been used to treat anabolic steroid induced hypogonadism, as it can stimulate testosterone production, according to the National Institute of Health.

On Wednesday, Silver issued a statement to GroundandPound.de, explaining how he came to have hCG in his system. He accepted for responsibility, but was adamant that it wasn’t an effort on his part to knowingly dope for his fight.

Silver’s statement:

“Today I would like to issue a public statement and give my fans and supporters the opportunity to form their own opinion on how the alleged doping allegations against me came about.

Last fall, my coach Niko Sulenta was diagnosed with severe cancer, which lead to me being on my own during the preparations for a UFC fight for the first time, without me being able to draw on his longstanding care and advice. Niko has always been essential to my weight reduction.

So prior to UFC 168 I had to hire an external personal trainer and nutritionist to support me with making weight. The nutritionist recommended me a new diet method from the US, which had been successfully used by the stars. Thereupon I asked, if I, as a competitive professional athlete, could safely use this supplement. This was confirmed to me. Then I committed the fatal mistake of not making sure through the UFC if individual substances from the supplement could have effects on the drug tests.

I flew to the U.S. and won my fight. I was all the more shocked when the result of the A sample was deemed ’inconclusive’ and I was hoping for the result of the B sample. They found a small component of hCG in my urine sample – a minor ingredient of the diet preparation and a substance which is banned in the UFC.

I do not want to blame anyone for this result and I take full responsibility for my gullible and careless behavior. It was my mistake and it was grossly negligent. But I distance myself from any kind of doping. In my previous sixteen UFC fights, not even the smallest banned substance has been detected. This makes the current events all the more disappointing and shocking for me and my team.

Signed: Dennis Siver”