July 19, 2020 / By mobanmarket
Continuing a month that has been full of noteworthy drug testing news, USADA announced on Wednesday that UFC featherweight Chad Mendes has been suspended for two years following an out-of-competition drug test failure.
The test that caused the failure was taken on May 17th and Mendes was informed of the potential violation on June 10th. The substance that triggered the failure was revealed to be growth hormone GHRP-6.
Mendes last fought Frankie Edgar in December of 2015 at the Ultimate Fighter 22 finale show. Before that, he lost to Conor McGregor at UFC 189 after stepping in for an injured Jose Aldo on short notice.
Mendes will be eligible to return to mixed martial arts competition in 2018.
The full USADA statement is available below:
“USADA announced today that UFC athlete Chad Mendes, of Sacramento, Calif., has received a two-year sanction for an anti-doping policy violation after testing positive for a prohibited substance.
Mendes, 31, tested positive for GHRP-6 (Growth Hormone-Releasing Hexapeptide) following an out-of-competition urine test conducted on May 17, 2016. GHRP-6 is a prohibited substance in the class of Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors, Related Substances and Mimetics under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, which has adopted the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List.
Growth Hormone-Releasing Peptides are listed as Non-Specified Substances on the WADA Prohibited List. Under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, the standard sanction for an anti-doping policy violation involving a Non-Specified Substance is a two-year period of ineligibility.
Mendes’ two-year period of ineligibility began on June 10, 2016, the date on which he received a provisional suspension. In addition, Mendes has been disqualified from all competitive results obtained on and subsequent to May 17, 2016, the date of sample collection, including forfeiture of any title, ranking, purse or other compensation.
USADA conducts the year-round, independent anti-doping program for all UFC athletes. USADA is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental agency whose sole mission is to preserve the integrity of competition, inspire true sport, and protect the rights of clean athletes. The anti-doping program run by USADA for UFC athletes includes education, science and research, testing, and results management. Official UFC Anti-Doping Program information and athlete resources are available at UFC.USADA.org.”
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