Anyways, is it really this hard to drug test people?
Pedro Munhoz returns against Jimmie Rivera after bizarre drug suspensionThe fight will mark the return of Munhoz after a controversial drug test result in his last bout. The Black House bantamweight, who stopped Sanders in 39 seconds last October at Nova Scotia’s UFC Fight Night 54, was suspended after failing a post-fight drug test, even though the drug test results were never announced by the UFC or the local athletic commission.
As first reported by MMAFighting.com in July, Munhoz tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone, but claimed his levels were not above the limit. The fighter hired a specialist, who believed the Nova Scotia Boxing Authority made several mistakes during the process.
"We called a specialist, Paul Scott, and the commission couldn’t explain why my levels were high," Munhoz said in July. "We asked the commission for documents, explaining what happened, and it took them three months to send them to me. They sent us a 150-page file, and we gave it to Paul Scott. He examined the entire thing and said ‘This is a joke, it’s all wrong’.
"The testosterone levels can go from 300 to 1100, and my level was at 850. That’s in the limit. ‘Oh, but your last test from Las Vegas was at 410, and you’re at 850 this time,' they said. But that’s not above the limit. And everything can change your testosterone level, even if you didn’t sleep properly, if you had sex, or if you took supplements. I was using two supplements, Vitrix and ZMA, and both are legal. I always ask the UFC before taking anything, and they told me I was allowed to use them."
However, Nova Scotia Boxing Authority chairman Michael MacDonald told MMAFighting.com at the time that the UFC was the one who collected the sample and had it tested at a lab in Las Vegas.
"(The UFC) kind of run the show," MacDonald said. "We're just there for the protection and of the fighters and to make sure the rules and regulations are followed. These guys, they have a well-oiled machine. They're doing this all over the world. They're very, very competent."
Almost two months after the first report was published, the UFC never addressed the situation. Booked to fight on Nov. 7, Munhoz told MMAFighting.com his suspension was "cancelled," but sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed the fighter is currently serving a one-year suspension until Oct. 4.
