USADA announced on Friday that UFC athlete Ricardo Abreu has tested positive for a prohibited substance and received a four-year sanction for his second anti-doping policy violation.
Abreu, 33, tested positive for 19-norandrosterone (19-NA), the main urinary metabolite of nandrolone (19-nortestosterone) and other 19-norsteroids, above the decision limit of 3.4 ng/mL following an out-of-competition urine test conducted on December 21, 2016. In accordance with standard practice, the exogenous, or non-natural, origin of the 19-NA was further confirmed by sophisticated carbon isotope-ratio mass spectrometry (GC/C/IRMS) analysis, which can reveal the presence of synthetic anabolic agents. In this case, the GC/C/IRMS analysis result was consistent with the exogenous origin of 19-NA. Anabolic Agents, including 19-NA, are non-Specified Substances prohibited at all times under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, which has adopted the WADA Prohibited List.
Following notice of his positive test on February 1, 2017, Abreu formally notified UFC and USADA of his retirement from competition. Due to his retirement, Abreu’s four-year period of ineligibility, which was imposed on May 4, 2017, has been tolled and will resume only if he officially notifies UFC and USADA of his return from retirement.
Pursuant to the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, all UFC athletes serving a period of ineligibility for an anti-doping policy violation are required to remain in the USADA registered testing pool and make themselves available for testing in order to receive credit for time completed under his or her sanction. As such, Abreu’s retirement has resulted in the tolling of his sanction because he is not subject to no-advance-notice, out-of-competition testing under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy during his retirement.
Abreu’s first tested positive for 19-norandrosterone and 19-noretiocholanolone following an out-of-competition urine test conducted on June 3, 2016, for which he had received a two-year sanction.
