Two-time UFC Title challenger Chad Mendes is out of action until June of 2018, as USADA announced on Wednesday that they’ve handed down a two year sanction due to a failed drug test this spring.
According to a release from USADA, Mendes tested positive for GHRP-6 (Growth Hormone-Releasing Hexapeptide) in an out of competition test conducted on May 21. The test results came back positive on June 10, which will be the start date of this two-year sanction.
Mendes, who had an epic title fight with Jose Aldo in October of 2014, had a rough 2015 when he suffered stoppage losses at the hands of both Conor McGregor and Frankie Edgar in consecutive fights. Now it will be a full two and a half years between fights before he can get back into the mix.
Here’s USADA’s full release:
USADA announced today that UFC athlete Chad Mendes, of Sacramento, Calif., has received a two-year sanction for an anti-doping policy violation after testing positive for a prohibited substance.
Mendes, 31, tested positive for GHRP-6 (Growth Hormone-Releasing Hexapeptide) following an out-of-competition urine test conducted on May 17, 2016. GHRP-6 is a prohibited substance in the class of Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors, Related Substances and Mimetics under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, which has adopted the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List.
Growth Hormone-Releasing Peptides are listed as Non-Specified Substances on the WADA Prohibited List. Under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, the standard sanction for an anti-doping policy violation involving a Non-Specified Substance is a two-year period of ineligibility.
Mendes’ two-year period of ineligibility began on June 10, 2016, the date on which he received a provisional suspension. In addition, Mendes has been disqualified from all competitive results obtained on and subsequent to May 17, 2016, the date of sample collection, including forfeiture of any title, ranking, purse or other compensation.
USADA conducts the year-round, independent anti-doping program for all UFC athletes. USADA is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental agency whose sole mission is to preserve the integrity of competition, inspire true sport, and protect the rights of clean athletes. The anti-doping program run by USADA for UFC athletes includes education, science and research, testing, and results management. Official UFC Anti-Doping Program information and athlete resources are available at UFC.USADA.org.
Penick’s Analysis: This was expected with Mendes not fighting USADA’s finding. It’s a highly disappointing PED failure, and effectively ends his time as a top five featherweight. Even when he returns to action in 2018, the landscape of this division could be very different. He’ll be 33 at that point as well, and he’s missing out on a couple of years where he could have continued to be competitive. This is a huge mistake on his part, and he’s going to pay for it.
[Photo (c) Joe Camporeale via USA Today Sports]
Attention iPhone/iPad and Android users, if you’ve enjoyed our app in the past and followed us there, or if you’ve never checked it out, make sure to update to the latest version in the Apple store and/or Google Play store. We’ve launched a new look for the app, in line with our recent desktop overhaul. Make sure to check it out!
For current App users, swipe right to view next article, swipe left to view previous article.
Leave a Reply