UFC heavyweight Josh Barnett was facing a potential four-year suspension for his drug test failure from 2016. However, the fighter has now gone through arbitration for the incident and will not be seeing a single day of suspension.
The United States Anti-Doping Agency recently reached a verdict for the case of Barnett, clearing the fighter of any suspension due to the banned substance entering his system through a contaminated supplement. Rather, Barnett has been slammed with a “public reprimand.”
Barnett has become the first and only UFC competitor to challenge USADA on a drug test failure and walk away without a suspension. Here is USADA’s official statement on the matter:
“USADA announced today that an independent arbitrator has rendered a decision in the case of UFC® athlete Josh Barnett, of Fullerton, Calif., and determined that Barnett should receive a public reprimand for his anti-doping policy violation. This decision comes after the facts of the case were fully briefed and presented at an evidentiary hearing on March 6, 2018.
“Barnett, 40, tested positive for ostarine following an out-of-competition test conducted on December 9, 2016. Ostarine is a non-Specified Substance in the class of Anabolic Agents and is prohibited at all times under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, which has adopted the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List.
“Ostarine, also known as MK-2866 and Enobosarm, is a non-FDA approved selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) that is illegally sold in the United States and worldwide as a performance-enhancing substance. Ostarine is not currently available as a prescription medication in any country, and its unauthorized use may carry serious side effects.
“Nonetheless, ostarine has been found as a declared and undeclared ingredient in many dietary supplements sold in the United States, which has prompted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue warning letters to specific dietary supplement manufacturers stating that ostarine is an unapproved new drug and that selling the drug is in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. More information about the risks of ostarine can be found through a USADA athlete advisory.
“Given the source was established to be a contaminated supplement, along with the athlete’s care and diligence concerning the nutritional products consumed, the arbitrator determined that a public reprimand was appropriate.
“The case was heard and the decision rendered by Richard H. McLaren, chief arbitrator from McLaren Global Sport Solutions, Inc. (MGSS), and can be found here, along with all other UFC Anti-Doping Policy arbitral decisions.”
