Mike King Released By UFC
Former Ultimate Fighter 19 competitor Mike King has been sidelined by the UFC for nine months. This decision was made after King returned a positive drug test in his bout against Cathal Pendred at UFC Fight Night from Dublin, Ireland in July.
King tested positive for Nandrolone (most commonly sold commercially as Deca Durabolin) that can stimulate muscle growth and appetite. Deca Durabolin is also used for improving the production of red blood cells in the body and has the potential of improving bone density. Medically, this anabolic androgenic steroid is prescribed to treat anemia, osteoporosis and some forms of neoplasia including breast cancer.
The International Olympic Committee has set a limit of 2.0 μg/L of 19-norandrosterone in urine as the upper limit. This steroid is directly detectable in hair or indirectly detectable in urine by testing for the presence of 19-norandrosterone. A study conducted in 2004 revealed that the administration of 200 mg of Nandrolone decanoate for a period of 8 weeks can dramatically increase fat-free mass and body mass. It was also revealed that the changes can be attributed to an increase of muscle mass.
Other notable fighters who have tested positive for Nandrolone are Josh Barnett, Stephan Bonnar, Nate Marquardt, Royce Gracie (tested positive after defeating his longtime rival Kazushi Sakuraba at K-1 Dynamite!! USA in 2007), and Sean Sherk (tested positive for nandrolone following his title defence to Hermes Franca at UFC 73). High profile athletes such as Merlene Ottey, Dieter Baumann, and Linford Christie have tested positive for Nandrolone. Tennis star Petr Korda tested positive for this steroid after his 1998 Wimbledon quarter final match against Tim Henman. During the 2000 baseball season, Roger Clemens, a member of the 2000 World Series winning New York Yankees, was reported to have been injected with Deca Durabolin by Brian McNamee, major league strength coach.
In a statement, the UFC remarked Mike King has been informed that his positive test violated the UFC Fighter Conduct Policy and Promotional Agreement with Zuffa, LLC. The statement also said the UFC has a strict, consistent policy against the use of any illegal and/or performance-enhancing drugs, stimulants or masking agents by our athletes. It was further added that King agreed to serve a 9-month suspension retroactive to the event and must pass a drug test before receiving clearance to compete again. As part of the suspension, the UFC fighter will also forgo his $50,000 ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus that he earned in the fight with Pendred.
In a statement, King confirmed that he has been released from the UFC. He added the consequences for my conduct are truly significant and added the life changing $50,000 ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus he was awarded has been taken away, and he had been informed that his UFC promotional agreement is being terminated. King added he has been placed on a nine month suspension, and he has publicly humiliated himself but added that he accepts full responsibility for his actions and decisions and will make no excuses.
|
|
