UFC officials today announced that all potential UFC or Strikeforce fighters will be subjected to mandatory, pre-contract screens for performance-enhancing drugs.
“We’re committed to the health and safety of our athletes, and we take it very seriously,” UFC Chairman and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta stated in a release. “We already work closely with athletic commissions to protect our athletes, and now we’re taking it one step further. We’re going to test any potential UFC or Strikeforce fighter before finalizing their contract. This shows that we don’t want performance-enhancing drugs in our sport.”
The announcement comes hours after former Strikeforce champion Muhammed Lawal’s positive steroid test following a Jan. 7 victory was revealed Tuesday morning by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. According to the regulatory body, Lawal’s post-fight test came back positive for the anabolic steroid Drostanolone.
Sherdog.com contacted Lawal’s manager, Mike Kogan, following the announcement. Kogan repeatedly asserted that “King Mo” was unfamiliar with the banned substance for which he reportedly tested positive.
Last month, former Strikeforce women’s 145-pound champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos tested positive for Stanozolol, another anabolic steroid, following a one-sided title defense against Hiroko Yamanaka on Dec. 17. Santos was suspended one year and fined $2,500 by the California State Athletic Commission in addition to being stripped of her title by Strikeforce. Her victory over Yamanaka has been changed to a no-contest.
Santos accepted the CSAC’s ruling and apologized, but denied knowingly using the performance enhancer in a statement on her website, instead attributed the positive test to her use of a dietary supplement to aid in cutting weight.
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