Ricardo Abreu banned for 2 years following PED test fail
Fourth UFC fighter suspended for TWO YEARS for drug test failure
UFC Athlete, Abreu, Receives Sanction for Anti-Doping Policy Violation
“>USADA, the UFC’s independent anti-doping organization, has announced that TUF Brazil 3 vet middleweight Ricardo Abreu has been suspended for the full two years that is usual following a first time test failure.
Abreu, of Albuquerque, N.M., has received a two-year sanction for an anti-doping policy violation after testing positive for a prohibited substance.
Abreu, 32, tested positive for 19-norandrosterone (19-NA) above the decision limit of 3 ng/mL and 19-noretiocholanolone following an out-of-competition urine test conducted on June 3, 2016. Both substances are metabolites of anabolic steroids prohibited under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, which has adopted the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List.
Anabolic agents 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. UFC athlete Ricardo Abreu, of Albuquerque, N.M., has received a two-year sanction for an anti-doping policy violation after testing positive for a prohibited substance.
Abreu’s two-year period of ineligibility began on July 1, 2016, the date on which he was provisionally suspended by USADA. In addition, Abreu has been disqualified from all competitive results obtained on and subsequent to June 3, 2016, the date of sample collection, including forfeiture of any title, ranking, purse or other compensation.
Abreu is 1-1 in the UFC, debuting with a win over Wagner Gomes at The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3 finale / UFC Fight Night: Miocic vs. Maldonado on May 31, 2014, and then losing by Split Decision to Jake Collier at UFC Fight Night 68, on June 6, 2015. Abreu pulled out of two fights with injuries in the past year.
The injuries could be attributed to the PEDs – muscle tissue can grow stronger faster than connective tissue, and joint injuries can result. Or the injuries could have made the fighter take PEDs to accelerate healing. Or, most likely, the Brazilian fighter simply took PEDs as a routine part of his training protocol.
Abreu now joins Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic, Gleison Tibau, and Chad Mendes as fighters that have failed a test and received the two-year ban.