UFC lightweight Yancy Medeiros got his first UFC win at UFC Fight Night 31: UFC Fight for the Troops 3, knocking out Yves Edwards in the first round. Medeiros lost his UFC debut, when he broke his thumb trying to stop a takedown by Rustam Khabilov.
However, Medeiros will have to wait longer to get his first UFC win, as the fight with Edwards was changed to a No Contest by the Kentucky Boxing and Wrestling Authority, following a positive test for marijuana metabolites. He was also suspended 90 days from the Nov. 6 date of the fight.
UFC lightweight Yancy Medeiros tested positive for marijuana metabolites following his bout against Yves Edwards at UFC Fight for the Troops 3, the UFC told MMAJunkie. He was informed that his positive test violated the UFC Fighter Conduct Policy and Promotional Agreement with Zuffa, LLC.
He agreed to and served a 90-day suspension retroactive to the event, and must pass a drug test before receiving clearance to compete again.
The 90 day suspension has already passed, so the fight vs. Joe Ellenberge at UFC 172 on April 26 is not affected.
There is a general feeling in the sport that while the rules are the rules and must be enforced, stringent prohibitions on marijuana are not in keeping with sweeping changes in the way society views marijuana use.
While no one should be fighting high, or drunk, athletes who choose to use marijuana, completely legally in many cases, are being unfairly penalized. Prize fighter Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was fined $900.000 after a positive test. And Pat Healy lost $130,000 in ‘of the Night’ performance bonuses, as no performance bonuses are awarded to fighters who fail drug screens.
“Society is changing, it’s a different world now,” said UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner in March. “States are legalizing marijuana and it’s becoming more and more of a problem with fighters testing positive and the metabolites.”
Right now I just cannot believe that a performance enhancing drug and marijuana can be treated the same. It just doesn’t make sense to the world anymore and it’s something that has to be brought up.”
One quick solution to the problem, was presented by the The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which recently upped the standards for a positive test, to prevent fighters from competing while high, but not penalizing those fighters that choose to engage in marijuana on a recreation, or prescription basis. Under the new standard, the marijuana testing threshold will be raised from 15 ng/mL to 150 ng/mL.
The Association of Boxing Commissions plans to consider the new WADA standard as well, and some state athletic commissions have unilaterally changed the level, but the punishments are increasingly looking anachronistic, and destined for the regulation ash heap.
