Jon Fitch Fails Pre WSOF 16 Drug Test
Notice the $2500 fine lol word on twitter is he popped for elevated testosterone.
Jon Fitch fails pre-WSOF 16 drug test, faces fines and suspension | MMAjunkie
Yet another high-profile fighter has failed a drug test, adding to this year’s rapidly expanding list of offenders.
The California State Athletic Commission today said onetime UFC and WSOF welterweight title challenger Jon Fitch (26-7-1) was flagged for an “adverse result” following a pre-fight drug test in connection with this past December’s WSOF 16, which aired on NBCSN.
The CSAC, which oversaw the Dec. 13 event at McClellan Conference Center in Sacramento, Calif., performed a CIR test on Fitch’s urine sample and confirmed the result. The commission declined to name the substance for which he was flagged. However, multiple sources close to the fighter indicated the test found elevated levels of testosterone.
The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss such matters publicly.
According to a summary of test results provided by the CSAC, Fitch gave a urine sample on the day of the event, prior to the his fight, which was then forwarded to the UCLA Olympic Analytical Laboratory. The sample was received and analyzed by the lab on Dec. 16.
On Jan. 15, the CSAC received a finding from the laboratory of an adverse finding. On Jan. 16, CSAC Executive Director Andy Foster ordered a CIR test on the sample. The test result was received Feb. 4 and also indicated an adverse result.
Fitch faced WSOF champ Rousimar Palhares (17-6) at WSOF 16 and fell prey to a kneebar submission in the first round. He now faces a nine-month suspension and $2,500 fine. He may appeal the commission’s finding at a future CSAC hearing.
Fitch has been a vocal critic of PED offenders, calling them “weaker-minded” and labeling the now-banned testosterone-replacement therapy “a joke” and a refuge for former steroid users.
“It is a joke,” Fitch told Fight Hub TV in 2013. “This is devised to let guys who have used steroids in their past re-boost their testosterone since they abused their bodies when they were younger. The guys using it, the ones who use the excuse of, ‘I am too old to compete with young guys” – that’s bulls***! I am 35 years old, and I promise, I would and will bet money that my testosterone levels are just as good as a younger fighter. You know why? Because I have not wrecked my body with steroids, never used ANY type of PED and train healthy and properly to compete.”
Earlier this week, the MMA world was rocked by the dual failures of UFC 183 headliners Anderson Silva and Nick Diaz. Silva was found with two steroids in his system after an out-of-competition test, and Diaz failed his third post-fight test for marijuana.
For complete coverage of WSOF 16, check out the MMA Events section of the site.
