Ali Bagautinov tests positive for EPO, suspended one year
The British Columbia Athletic Commission has released the results of their drug testing from UFC 174 held in Vancouver in June and it appears flyweight contender Ali Bagautinov tested positive for banned substances for his fight against champion Demetrious Johnson in the main event.
According to a release from the commission on Thursday, Bagautinov was one of eight fighters tested on the card and the only one to return a positive test. The Russian born flyweight was actually given additional testing on June 2 as part of the main event bout against Johnson, and that was the test that turned around the positive result.
"Mr. Ali Bagautinov -- one of the two flyweight title fighters was tested out of competition on June 2, 2014," British Columbia athletic commissioner Dave Maedel said in a release. "Results received by this office from the June 2 tests on Mr. Bagautinov were positive for erythropoietin, or EPO, a substance banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency. These results were not available prior to the UFC 174 event due to lab processing times.
"Mr. Bagautinov lost his bid for the flyweight title to Demetrious Johnson. I have suspended Mr. Bagautinov's licence to compete in British Columbia for a period of one year."
Bagautinov lost in a lopsided decision to Johnson at UFC 174, which was his first title fight while competing in the UFC.
EPO's are strictly forbidden to use by athletes as per the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) banned substances list. EPO's are routinely used for blood doping to help increase red blood cell production as a way to deliver oxygen to muscles to allow greater endurance in competition.
EPO's have been made famous in athletic competitions most notably by cyclists such as Lance Armstrong, who have admitted to using the drugs to increase endurance during performance.
Bagautinov becomes the second UFC fighter in just a matter of weeks to test positive for EPO -- Chael Sonnen also got popped for using the drugs when he was preparing for his bout at UFC 175 against Wanderlei Silva.
Bagautinov was suspended for one-year by the Canadian commission for the positive test result. The fighter and his team have made no formal announcement if they plan to appeal since the release came from the commission on Thursday.
