Vitor Belfort releases test results showing spike, plummet following NSAC fail

A sequence of lab results that UFC middleweight Vitor Belfort released today reveal the fighter’s spike in testosterone at the time of a random drug test and a subsequent fall in hormone levels as he underwent additional tests, most of which were performed under his direction.

According to documents released today by Belfort, 37, his serum testosterone levels went from high-normal for adult men to well over the limit, and then well below the level considered healthy. (Directly download a PDF of Belfort’s test results and statement here.)

Belfort (24-10 MMA, 13-6 UFC), a public user of testosterone-replacement therapy since January 2013, said he considered applying for a therapeutic-use exemption for a middleweight title fight against champ Chris Weidman in Las Vegas at UFC 173, as earlier reported. But his ability to get a TUE and a license with the Nevada State Athletic Commission was compromised with the results of the random test, and he was removed from the card.

Now, Belfort seeks a license to fight three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen at UFC 175, but he has yet to receive a license to fight in Nevada. He is scheduled to appear before the commission on June 17 to evaluate his application.

Collected on Feb. 7 as he attended the World MMA Awards ceremony in Las Vegas, the sample for Belfort’s random test came back with a serum testosterone level of 1,472 ng/dL, well beyond the range considered normal by LabCore, a facility that frequently performs drug tests for the NSAC. The range for men Belfort’s age is between 348 ng/dL and 1,197 ng/dL, according to LabCore.

Belfort submitted a total of seven test results – spanning from Feb. 1 to May 29 – as part of an application he submitted several weeks ago to fight Sonnen at UFC 175, NSAC chair Francisco Aguilar confirmed with MMAjunkie. The information is under review by NSAC consulting physician Timothy Trainor, who previously said he would advise against giving Belfort a TUE to fight Weidman at UFC 173.

The second and seventh test results were requested by the commission, Aguilar said, while the remaining tests were provided by the fighter in his application. The NSAC requested Belfort submit to another drug test in late May to review at his June 17 hearing, he added.

The documents provided by Belfort revealed:

- The fighter’s first test was performed on Feb. 1 at Dr. G’s Urgent Care in Delray Beach, Fla., and analyzed by Solstas Lab Partners in Greensboro, N.C. The result, which came on Feb. 15 (two weeks prior to his removal from UFC 173), showed his testosterone level was 855.82 ng/dL. The lab defined the normal range as between 300-890 ng/dL.

- On Feb. 22, Belfort returned to Dr. G’s Urgent Care and underwent another test, which came back with a level of 681.28 ng/dL. Nearly one month later, his level dropped to 201.45, below the level considered normal by Solstas and LabCore.

- In April, Belfort underwent his fourth test in Brazil and apparently registered 291 ng/dL. Several weeks later, in a test analyzed by Quest Diagnostics, another firm frequently utilized by the NSAC, his level was 165 ng/dL.

- The final test, requested by the NSAC, was administered on May 29 and showed Belfort had a serum testosterone level of 142 ng/dL.

As Belfort explained to the commission in a letter submitted with his test results, his doctors modified his TRT regimen to return him to a level within a therapeutic range. As the results show, he in fact dipped below that level in the months following his NSAC failure.

Belfort has steadfastly maintained he has not abused TRT ever since he chose to go on it on or around the time of his 2011 title fight with now-former champ Anderson Silva at UFC 126. He obtained TUEs for multiple fights held in Brazil before the NSAC’s decision to ban the controversial treatment closed the door on exemptions and prompted the country’s UFC-backed athletic commission to follow suit.

In 2006, Belfort tested positive for a steroid and was suspended by the NSAC following a fight in Las Vegas in the now-defunct PRIDE promotion. He first claimed a supplement caused the test and added upon an appeal that a doctor was injecting him with testosterone to help him recover from a knee injury.

Today, the UFC released a statement in support of Belfort: “The UFC organization supports Vitor Belfort’s application for a license to compete in Nevada, and we respect the Nevada Athletic Commission and its licensing process. Pending commission approval, we look forward to a great fight between Vitor Belfort and Chael Sonnen at UFC 175 on July 5.”

For more on UFC 175, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.