MMA Mania reports that the California State Athletic Commission has handed out fines and suspensions for the four fighters that failed post-fight drug tests at Bellator 127. The event took place in Temecula, California.
The punishments are as follows:
Rob Emerson (use of Modafinil): 9 month suspension and $2,500 fine
Fernando Gonzalez (marijuana): 1 month suspension and $265 fine
Keith Berry (elevated testosterone levels, marijuana): 10 month suspension and $2,500 fine
Nick Moghaddam (elevated testosterone levels, marijuana): 10 month suspension and $1,500 fine
Gonzalez had his TKO victory over Karo Parisyan overturned and ruled a no-contest. Similarly, Berry’s win was ruled a no-contest as well. Emerson and Moghaddam lost their bouts and the result remains the same.
It appears that each fighter will accept the penalties and there will be no appeal of the decision.
Payout Perspective:
The fines and suspensions appear reasonable if they are based on the fighters’ actual pay for the event. Certainly, the suspensions and the fallout from Bellator are equally devastating than the monetary fine. Scott Coker issued a strongly worded press release about PED use so we shall see if any of these fighters suffer additional penalties.
Glad to see some transparency, in terms of drug testing, in Bellator. Scott has said they will run more shows in major markets, which should result in more and more testing.