Brock Lesnar given one-year ban from UFC and fined £200,000 after failed drugs test
Lesnar has since returned to the WWE but will be cleared to compete again in the UFC from July 2017
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Your support makes all the difference.Brock Lesnar has been given a one-year ban from the UFC and fined $250,000 [£201,000] after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs during his return to mixed martial arts earlier this year.
WWE star Lesnar returned to the UFC to face Mark Hunt at UFC 200 after a five-year absence, and his victory appeared to set-up a possible full-time return once his contract with the wrestling company expired.
But it emerged soon after the 9 July bout that Lesnar had failed two drugs tests for the banned substances clomiphene and hydroxyl-clomiphene – used as an anti-estrogen drug - with one test taking place on 28 June ahead of the fight and one taken on the night of UFC 200.
One of the consequences of Lesnar’s positive tests is that the result has been changed to a no contest, despite Lesnar originally triumphing by unanimous decision, along with the suspension and fine that is all but likely to end his involvement in the UFC.
The $250,000 sanction represents around 10 per cent of the $2.5m Lesnar received for fighting at UFC 200, and he has since returned to the WWE where he competed at SummerSlam and Survivor Series.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission confirmed the decision on Thursday, however they did back-date the ban which means Lesnar will be cleared to compete in the UFC again from 9 July 2017, should he wish to make a second comeback in the Octagon.
The Commission also fined Nate Diaz $50,000 and issued the American with 50 hours of community service for his part in the press conference melee ahead of his UFC 202 defeat by Conor McGregor.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was also given a one-year suspension in line with his United States Anti-Doping Agency ban.
However, Jones was not given a fine due to the fact that he was pulled from his UFC 200 headline bout with Daniel Cormier before the fight could take place, with the Commission stating that the ban was “in accordance with our first-time offense (guidelines) for the issue at hand here.”
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