Lawlor suspended for two years after failing test for Ostarine
USADA announced today that UFC athlete, Tom Lawlor, of Las Vegas, Nev., accepted a two-year sanction after testing positive for a prohibited substance.
Last year longtime UFC light heavyweight and huge favorite of The Underground Tom Lawlor had an anti-doping test flagged by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, the UFC’s independent drug testing agency. He was suspended pending a full investigation, which is now complete. Throughout, Lawlor has maintained his innocence.
Via UFC.USADA.org.
USADA announced today that UFC athlete, Tom Lawlor, of Las Vegas, Nev., accepted a two-year sanction after testing positive for a prohibited substance.
Lawlor, 33, tested positive for ostarine following an out-of-competition urine test conducted on October 10, 2016. Ostarine is a prohibited substance in the category of Anabolic Agents and is prohibited at all times under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, which has adopted the WADA Prohibited List.
Ostarine, also known as MK-2866 and Enobosarm, is a non-FDA approved selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) which is illegally sold in the United States and globally as a performance-enhancing substance. Ostarine is not currently available as a prescription medication in any country, and its unauthorized use may carry serious side effects. Nonetheless, ostarine has been found as a declared and undeclared ingredient in many dietary supplements sold in the United States, which has prompted the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue warning letters to specific dietary supplement manufacturers stating that ostarine is an unapproved new drug and that selling the drug is in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA).
Lawlor’s two-year period of ineligibility began on October 10, 2016, the date his positive sample was collected.
Pursuant to the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, all UFC athletes serving a period of ineligibility for an anti-doping policy violation are required to remain in the USADA registered testing pool and make themselves available for testing in order to receive credit for time served under his or her sanction. Furthermore, if an athlete retires during his or her period of ineligibility, the athlete’s sanction will be tolled until such time the athlete notifies USADA of his or her return from retirement and once again makes him or herself available for no-advance-notice, out-of-competition testing.
UFC welterweight Tim Means received just a six-month suspension for Ostarine, after identifying the source of the flagged test – a contaminated supplement. Lawlor was unfortunately unable to do the same.
Lawlor will be eligible to fight again on October 10, 2018. He has not fought since March of 2016. The fighter is set to make his pro wrestling debut in Las Vegas on Saturday.