Another UFC fighter has tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, and this time, it’s someone fans least expected. The Brazilian Athletic Commission (CABMMA), which oversaw drug testing for last month’s UFC Fight Night 51 event, revealed on Monday that lightweight Piotr Hallmann tested positive for the anabolic steroid drostanolone in a post-fight drug test, and the Pole has been suspended from action for nine months. Additionally, Hallmann — who won a share of the evening’s “Fight of the Night” award for his split decision loss against Gleison Tibau — will have to pass a drug test after the nine months is up in order to be licensed again. It’s also very likely that the UFC will strip him of his $50,000 FOTN award. A costly mistake, for sure. I’ve been very high on Hallmann ever since his UFC debut last year against Francisco Trinaldo, when he came back after being beaten down early to submit his opponent late, and I also was impressed with him in his third-round submission win over Yves Edwards back in June of this year. However, after hearing this news about him taking PEDs, I’m starting to question his accomplishments in the cage. Drostanolone, Hallmann’s drug of choice, is often used as a weight-cutting agent. And that’s the part that really surprised me, as I didn’t think Hallmann cut a lot of weight to make the 155lb weight limit. But I guess I was wrong, as he clearly needed help in order to make the weight. It’s possible that, since the fight was in Brazil, Hallmann needed some extra help to make the weight cut. After all, we’ve heard other non-Brazilian athletes in the past say that the facilities for weight cutting in Brazil were lacking, and that with the different water and food available down there, the process was made even harder. But even if that’s the case, it’s still no excuse for Hallmann to cheat, and I know this positive test has made a number of his fans lose respect for him In addition to Hallmann testing positive yesterday, the UFC also confirmed that Cung Le — who tested positive for HGH in a post-fight drug test following UFC Fight Night 48 — will indeed stay suspended for a year after his failed test, despite the notorious Victor Conte going on a Twitter rampage and declaring the UFC’s drug tests as inconclusive. The UFC has ignored Conte’s requests to have Le’s tests looked into again, saying that they were satisfied with how they operated their drug testing in China, and Le will be on the shelf until next summer. 2014 has so far been a terrible year for PEDs in the sport as a number of high-profile athletes such as Vitor Belfort, Chael Sonnen and Ali Bagautinov have tested positive for a myriad of banned substances, but at least these cheats are being caught and punished. That’s better than nothing, although the fact most fighters are caught after their fights is concerning, as regardless of their post-fight sanctions, they are still allowed to compete with these illegal substances in their bodies. With more random testing coming out, expect more fighters in the sport to continue getting caught for their infractions, and while some popular fighters might be among those who will be forced to sit out, at the end of the day it’s best to clean up the sport, and I for one definitely support increased drug testing as I believe MMA is a beautiful sport that is tainted by so many fighters cheating, and I hope one day we don’t have to talk about this anymore.
