USADA hands Brock Lesnar one-year suspension for failed UFC 200 drug tests

Former UFC heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar really couldn’t have looked any better in his UFC 200 fight against devastating striker Mark Hunt. Considering he hadn’t stepped foot in the Octagon in some five years, his scoring a three-round domination of a legitimate, top-10 foe was truly impressive.

Unfortunately, Lesnar had the rug pulled out from under him in the days following the fight, when it was revealed that he’d tested positive for the estrogen blocker clomiphene. After a long legal process that saw Lesnar and his team attempt to blame his failed tests on everything from his foot cream to his eye medication, he was handed a year-long suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. They also fined him $250,000 and overturned his win over Hunt, changing the result to a no-contest.

Now, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), the UFC’s anti-doping partner has followed suit. They too have suspended the former champion for one-year, which is retroactive to July 15, 2016.

USADA released a statement on Lesnar’s suspension on Wednesday. It reads as follows (via Fox Sports):

“Lesnar, 39, tested positive for clomiphene and its metabolite, 4-hydroxyclomiphene, following an out-of-competition urine test conducted on June 28, 2016, and an in-competition urine test conducted on July 9, 2016, at UFC 200 in Las Vegas, Nev. Clomiphene is a prohibited substance in the category of Hormone and Metabolic Modulators and is prohibited at all times under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, which has adopted the WADA Prohibited List.”

 “Lesnar’s one-year period of ineligibility began on July 15, 2016, the date on which he was provisionally suspended by USADA, and is identical in length to the sanction imposed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) on December 15, 2016. In addition, the NSAC overturned Lesnar’s victory at UFC 200 to a no-contest.”