Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on
your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. Top Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight
contender Rob Font had a
major scare from the World Anti-Doping Agency recently. Following his successful performance, a five-round decision win
over ex-champ Cody
Garbrandt, Font (19-4) failed a post-fight drug test for a
metabolite of the noontropic substance known as meclofexonate. Upon
learning of this test, Font and his team including manager Tyson
Chartier documented every supplement that Font took, submitting
his information to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. After an
investigation, Font has been cleared of any wrongdoing, although he
is currently under suspension from the Nevada State Athletic
Commission, which is customary for an active anti-doping case.
Chartier released a full statement of the proceedings on his
Instagram
account on Friday, detailing the steps they took as well as a copy
of the letter received from USADA.
The substance, while prohibited in competition by both USADA and
WADA, can be found in the system in ways beyond supplement
consumption. A WADA study in early 2021 showed that these
metabolites can trigger an “adverse analytical finding” even when
the specific stimulant meclofenoxate is not present. These
metabolites are called 4-chloropenoxyacetic acid, also known as
4-CPA, and they do not directly mean that a positive test contains
the banned substance meclofenoxate. As the findings came out, it
was determined that Font did not take any performance-enhancing
supplements.
Instead, the substance called chlorphenesin was determined to be
the culprit, which is something contained in cosmetic products
“such as hair products, skin lotions, and sunscreen,” while also
being chemically related to 4-CPA. Font’s team sent along products
he used and the receipts of their purchase to USADA, who them
tested them and determined them to be the source of his adverse
finding. As such, Font is not suspended by the UFC or USADA,
however the NSAC still has issued him a temporary suspension until
it runs a separate test with its own lab.
ESPN
acquired a statement from UFC testing czar and senior vice
president of athlete Health and performance Jeff Novitszky, who
blasted WADA while explaining that this was a clear example of a
“false positive case.”
“Rob
Font’s case is a true ‘false positive,’” Novitzky stated. “And
the blame lays squarely on the shoulders of the World Anti-Doping
Agency (WADA). Their scientists put forth guidelines to their
accredited laboratories in January of this year that were flat out
wrong. We know definitively that the use of an allowed substance,
chlorphenesin, commonly found in cosmetic products, can result in
4-CPA levels well in excess of 1000 ng/ml.”
Novitzky continued, “I’m very happy that USADA was able to resolve
Rob’s case quickly, but I’m very disappointed that WADA has let
down clean athletes with a lack of care in instituting flawed
scientific guidelines, that as of today, still have not been
rescinded. WADA needs to act immediately.”
