Wrestling Observer is reporting that UFC Middleweight fighter Chris Leben tested positive for the steroid Stanozolol the day of his fight with Michael Bisping in Birmingham, UK on October 18, 2008. He has been suspended 9 months by the UFC and fined one third of his fight purse for the violation.
The drug test was administered by the UFC’s Marc Ratner as there is no mandatory drug testing for MMA in the UK. Leben reportedly admitted to using Stanozolol but had thought that it had cleared his system by the date of the event.
Stanozolol is a steroid normally used to treat anemia in humans as well as to improve muscle growth and red blood cell production in animals. It appears to be a popular steroid among athletes that get caught for steroid use – the list of athletes include Rafael Palmeiro, Fernando Vargas, Phil Baroni, Big Brown and perhaps most infamously to Canadians, Ben Johnson.
Kevin Wong writes for Inside Fights, Reality Dish and Prime Time Pulse. He’s annoyed that the whole Ben Johnson scandal and subsequent inquiry solved nothing as far as steroid use in sports go.
