Josh Barnett is negotiating his release from the UFC due to the lack of trust he has in USADA. Barnett received an admonished but no suspension for a flagged drug test administered by the UFC’s third party anti-doping officiant.
Barnett was the first UFC fighter to “prevail” in an arbitration for a failed test. The former UFC heavyweight champion was able to prove that he did not knowingly take a banned substance. This was due in part to a detailed accounting of supplements which led to the finding that a supplement by tbe name of Tributestin purchased at a store in Los Angeles contained Ostrine (a banned substance) although it was not labeled on the product. He has filed a lawsuit against the drug maker which appears to be the reason for the flagged test.
“I don’t’ feel comfortable giving the control necessary to USADA that would continue my career in the UFC,” Barnett told ESPN.com about his pending release. Barnett had been with the promotion 5 years after leaving the company in 2002.
Payout Perspective:
It would seem that Barnett would be Bellator-bound if he wanted to continue to fight. The circumstances surrounding Barnett’s departure are a first and may bring more scrutiny to the UFC’s Anti-Doping Program. It is a requisite to be registered with USADA to be a UFC fighter, and due to the issues Barnett faced with the provisional suspension and subsequent arbitration, he has drawn a line regarding the policy which is costing him his job with the UFC.
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