Richard Walsh lost ‘a little bit of faith’ in USADA

UFC welterweight Richard Walsh heads into his fight vs. Jonathan Muenier at UFC Fight Night 101 with a record of 1-3 his last four. Or does he? After losing a unanimous decision to Viscardi Andrade at UFC Fight Night 85 in March, on April 12 USADA announced that Andrade had been notified of a potential anti-doping violation.

If that bout is changed to a No Contest, Walsh’s record in the UFC so far is 2-2 with one NC. That is a lot better than heading into a fight 1-3.

Andrade offered a firm denial at the time.

I was surprised by a notification from USADA informing me of a possible violation in the sample collected on March 7, before my last UFC fight, a win over Rich Walsh, said Andrade to MMA Fighting. According to USADA, an institution I respect and know about the credibility, I violated the agency’s anti-doping policy. However, I deny, with all my character, ingesting any substance that violates their terms. Because of that, I requested the B sample to be tested and totally believe in my acquittal in this imbroglio. During my training camp for the fight, I did the same procedures I did in 10 years of my career. Same food, supplementation, everything approved in several anti-doping exams, many of them already as a UFC fighter, and followed by professional doctors and nutritionists.

More than the UFC welterweight belt, today, I wish this entire situation to be cleared so I can come back as soon as possible to do what I love, which is fighting, and continue my professional career. I’m sorry for what happened, but all I have to do is wait for the B sample result. I thank my fans, friends and family who sent me messages of support and comfort and trust in my innocence since this news came out. You will see me back in action again soon.

So the fighter whose test was flagged says he wants resolution more than he wants a title fight. The losing fighter could find his job on the line as a result. Yet seven and a half months later, nothing more is known. Further, Walsh says the B-sample also came back positive for testosterone.

I wasn’t angry, said Walsh to Fernanda Prates and John Morgan for MMAjunkie. I was more like, ‘Are they going to turn the decision over to a no-contest?’ Which has still kind of been some sort of shady area. I haven’t heard anything from that fight yet. It’s still a loss on my record and anyone who looks up Sherdog will see it’s a loss, so that’s disappointing.

What bugs me is – I feel like a lot of things are a bit of a show. And drug testing sounds good, but when things like this happen, with Viscardi, his A and B sample were positive for testosterone and nothing happened, nothing’s really been reported.

It’s a little bit insulting to me and it kind of – I lost a little bit of faith in testing. I’ve been tested every fight, but you lose a little bit of faith in it.

The fight itself was pretty close, and I think I didn’t lose the fight because he was juicing. Surely it probably didn’t help. But I don’t think I lost the fight because he was fitter, because he was juicing or because he was stronger. It’s just a couple of things that I made that were mistakes.”

If Walsh stays 1-3 his last four, his job could be on the line, but he says that is when he shines brightest.

I look at every fight like a must-win, back’s against the wall, said Walsh. Because I always find I fight better when my back is against the wall. It’s like a cornered animal. ‘I’ve got to win.’

It would behoove USADA – greatly – to at the very least increase their transparency, and explain what they have been doing for well over half a year. The need for timeliness as well as transparency was made clear when Brock Lesnar failed a PED test, but the results came back after the fight had ended. That left Man enraged Mark Hunt threatening to sue the UFC. The same process unfolded in this case as well – Andrade’s test was administered on March 7, 2016, the fight was held on March 20, and the failure was not announced until April 12. Again, at the least, a greater degree of transparency is demanded.

Why does it take over five weeks for test results to come back? Perhaps that’s normal with a terrific reason, but in the absence of an explanation, it appears incompetent. Why after seven and a half months is there no resolution to Andrade’s case? Perhaps that’s normal with a terrific reason, but in the absence of an explanation, it appears incompetent. And with so much at stake, the potential incompetence and lack of transparency descend into something much worse.

Richard Walsh fights Jonathan Muenier at UFC Fight Night 101 on November 27, 2016 at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia. The bout will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 1.