UFC fighter fails drug test, faces zero repercussions

UFC bantamweight Ning Guangyou has tested positive for a banned substance in an out-of-competition test, but he won't be punished for it.

The Chinese fighter tested positive for clenbuterol from a sample taken May 19, but USADA found he ingested the substance without fault or negligence. According to a WADA report from 2011, countries such as China and Mexico run a high risk for meats contaminated with the substance. https://twitter.com/SportsJOEdotie/status/762792761036857345?lang=en Usada issued a statement explaining that Guangyou (5-3-1, 2-1 UFC) only popped for trace amounts of the substance and after reviewing his case, they concluded that it very likely came from tainted meat.

“USADA reviewed all of the evidence, including the athlete’s whereabouts, dietary habits, and the laboratory reports demonstrating very low parts per billion concentrations of the prohibited substance in the athlete’s urine sample, and concluded that the presence of clenbuterol in the athlete’s sample very likely resulted from clenbuterol contaminated meat consumed in China,”

Guangyou was set for his fighting debut on US soil at UFC 202 this month, but considering the confusion over his failed drug test, the UFC announced that his bout against Marlon Vera would be pushed back by week to the Canadian card.

"In late July, UFC was made aware of USADA's investigation into the source of the prohibited substance clenbuterol in an out of competition sample collected from Ning Guangyou. Given it was initially unclear as to the timing of the resolution of the investigation, UFC made the decision to move Guangyou's scheduled bout against Marlon Vera on August 20, 2016 at UFC 202 to UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Condit in Vancouver, BC on August 27, 2016."

The TUF China featherweight winner was last seen inside the Octagon losing a split decision loss to Marco Beltran in November 2015. He won his first two fights in the UFC before that, scoring a unanimous decision win over Jianping Yang in his promotional debut before knocking out Royston Wee in his sophomore bout. Listen to the GAA Hour football show – Wooly is joined by Paul Galvin, Aidan O’Shea, Senan Connell and Conán Doherty. Subscribe here on iTunes.