USADA Suspends Ex-UFC Heavyweight Champ Brock Lesnar for 1 Year

Brock Lesnar has been suspended for one year by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) for failing two drug tests in relation to his UFC 200 bout vs. Mark Hunt.

That sanction falls in line with the punishment recently levied by the Nevada Athletic Commission, which suspended the former heavyweight champion for one year and fined him $250,000. Lesnar tested positive for the estrogen blocker clomiphene in an out-of-competition drug test on June 28 as well as an in-competition test on the day of UFC 200.

In his first bout since December 2011, Lesnar defeated Hunt via unanimous decision in their July 9 heavyweight clash. The NAC overturned that victory to a no contest on Dec. 15. The $250,000 fine Lesnar received only represented a fraction of his $2.5 million purse for the fight. Lesnar will be eligible to return to active competition on July 15, 2017, one year from the date he was provisionally suspended by USADA.

Lesnar has made no commitment to any further plans regarding MMA. However, according to USADA, “all UFC athletes serving a period of ineligibility for an anti-doping policy violation are required to remain in the USADA registered testing pool and make themselves available for testing in order to receive credit for time served under his or her sanction.

“Furthermore, if an athlete retires during his or her period of ineligibility, the athlete’s sanction will be tolled until such time the athlete notifies USADA of his or her return from retirement and once again makes him or herself available for no-advance-notice, out-of-competition testing.”