The organization that attempted to take a urine sample from Jose Aldo last month only for its representative to get in trouble with Brazilian authorities is saying it did nothing wrong.
Drug Free Sport sent Ben Mosier to Rio de Janeiro to conduct a urine test on Aldo, the UFC featherweight champion, on June 11 on behalf of the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC). When Mosier arrived at Aldo’s Nova Uniao gym a, Aldo’s coach Andre Pederneiras phoned police and the Brazilian MMA Commission (CABMMA).
Aldo complied with the urine test, but the sample was thrown out when authorities determined that Mosier did not have the correct work visa to conduct business in Brazil. Aldo was tested the next day by a collector accredited by WADA alongside a CABMMA official. The sample was sent to WADA-accredited Sports Medicine Research & Testing Laboratory in Salt Lake City
In a statement issued by Drug Free Sport COO Chris Guinty on Friday, the organization is denying any wrongdoing or unethical behavior.
In early June 2015, Drug Free Sport was engaged by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (“NSAC”) to conduct a single urine test for an athlete in Brazil. Drug Free Sport’s preparation and execution of the testing event in Brazil complied with ethical best practices in anti-doping collections. Proper work visa applications detailing Drug Free Sport’s job functions were submitted to the Brazilian Consulate in Chicago, Illinois on June 18, 2012, and a ten year work visa was issued by the Consulate and relied upon by the Drug Free Sport collector in subsequent testing events. Drug Free Sport does not comment on client program specifics related to any collection event, but the NSAC, the UFC and Drug Free Sport were diligent in their effort to ensure a fair and ethical collection event in Brazil.
Aldo has since pulled out of his main event fight against Conor McGregor at UFC 189 due to a broken rib.
NAC executive director Bob Bennett told MMAFighting.com that Aldo’s drug test would only become public record if he failed. If Aldo did fail, the commission would have to notify the fighter and the UFC first before fulfilling a public records request by media, Bennett said. A public records request by MMAFighting.com is still pending, though Bennett speculated last week that if Aldo had indeed failed it would have been known already.
Bennett would not comment on whether or not Chad Mendes, McGregor’s new opponent, would be tested out of competition.
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The National Center for Drug Free Sport partners with organizations worldwide to provide third-party drug testing and other drug prevention initiatives. Drug Free Sport does not test itself, but works with WADA accredited labs for sample analysis.
