Brock Lesnar won his fight at UFC 200 but the real battle may have just begun.
The former heavyweight champion was notified on Friday of a potential doping violation stemming from an out-of-competition drug test administered by USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) on June 28.
According to a statement released by the UFC on Friday, the test was taken June 28 and the results came back on July 14. Lesnar and the UFC were then notified of the potential doping violation as a result of the positive drug test.
Lesnar competed at UFC 200 where he defeated Mark Hunt by unanimous decision in his first fight back in five years after retiring in 2011.
“The UFC organization was notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Brock Lesnar of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collection on June 28, 2016. USADA received the testing results from the June 28, 2016 sample collection from the WADA-accredited UCLA Olympic Analytical Laboratory on the evening of July 14, 2016,” UFC officials wrote in a release.
“USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case. It is important to note that, under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, there is a full fair legal review process that is afforded to all athletes before any sanctions are imposed. The Nevada State Athletic Commission also retains jurisdiction over this matter as the sample collection was performed in close proximity to Lesnar’s bout at UFC 200 in Las Vegas. Consistent with all previous potential anti-doping violations, additional information will be provided at the appropriate time as the process moves forward.”
Fighters returning from retirement are typically subjected to four months of drug testing before being allowed to compete, but Lesnar was given an exemption as part of the UFC’s anti-doping policy that allows for some extenuating circumstacnes.
Once he inked his new deal, however, Lesnar was subjected to testing like every other athlete on the roster and USADA representatives visited the 39-year old five times over the course of just two weeks leading up to the fight.
It was ultimately the June 28 test that was flagged for some sort of banned substance, but because the results weren’t returned until July 14, Lesnar was still able to compete on the UFC 200 card last weekend.
Lesnar reserves the right to ask for the ‘B’ sample taken to be tested, and he is also afforded the right to file an appeal, as well.
Lesnar being flagged for a potential doping violation comes just over a week after interim light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was also flagged for a doping violation for a test administered on June 16.
Jones’ test results came back ahead of UFC 200 and he was pulled from the fight card and his main event bout against Daniel Cormier was canceled.
Now Lesnar will have to deal with the fallout from the potential doping violation, which could affect his standing with the UFC as well as his current employers at WWE, who also test athletes as part of their wellness program.
