Another star fighter in the UFC has been busted for performance enhancing drugs. The UFC yesterday announced that Cung Le tested positive for excess levels of human growth hormone (HGH) in a post-fight drug test after his fight against Michael Bisping at UFC Fight Night 48, a bout he lost via fourth-round TKO. As a result of the positive test, Le has been suspended nine months by the UFC and will need to pass a drug test in order to return to the Octagon. This is incredibly disappointing news for fans of Le, as the star fighter was adamant he was clean despite an enhanced physique leading up to the Bisping fight that had many questioning whether or not he was natural. In fact, he told the media that he only looked so good in pre-fight pictures because the he had just finished a work out and that the loss of water weight, plus the lighting in the room where the picture of him was taken, was the reason for why he looked so good. Prior to the fight, both Bisping and Le agreed to enhanced drug testing, and this is no doubt where Le failed. It’s possible that Le would have got through basic drug testing without being caught, but with enhanced blood and urine testing taking place, Le was caught and it’s just another example of why we need more stringent drug testing in the sport, because when we do have this enhanced testing fighters seem to be caught more often than not (see: Ali Bagautinov at UFC 174). Back to Le, the 42-year-old movie star/fighter will be 43 when he is allowed to fight again, and it’s very possible we’ve seen the last of him in the Octagon after this failed drug test. It seems clear that after missing the last two years of action that Le felt he needed to take something in order to stay healthy enough to fight, and also to remain competitive with the other top middleweights of the world, and when a fighter gets to that point they should probably hang them out. Le is still popular, especially in Asia, a market the UFC is trying to capitalize on, but I have a feeling we’ve seen the last of the Sanshou expert in the Octagon, and it might be the best thing for everyone. And one last thing — why does it seem like Bisping keeps getting matched up against fighters who are later caught for PEDs? Le, Vitor Belfort, Chris Leben, Chael Sonnen — for some reason the guys he fights keep cheating (and are caught), and yet despite this, Bisping usually beats them. I doubt he’s happy to hear Le tested positive, but at least he has the satisfaction of beating him down and finishing him with brutal knees, a victory which earned him a bout against top contender Luke Rockhold.
