Late last week, USADA announced a 4-year sanction for Chi Lewis-Parry for testing positive for a variety of banned substances and then attempting to submit falsified evidence at his hearing. An arbitrator enhanced the sanction due to Lewis-Parry’s affirmative actions to circumvent the rules.
Lewis-Parry had yet to fight in the UFC but entered into the USADA testing pool per the rules of entering the promotion. He is best known for his kickboxing prowess but also was caught up in the Daniel Cormier-Jon Jones feud several years back when he helped DC train.
The 37-year-old competed in kickboxing prior to his foray into MMA.
Lewis-Parry tested positive for Drostanolone, Stanozolol and DHCMT in out-of-competition tests on September 12, 2019 and September 19, 2019. All 3 are considered performance enhancing drugs that are banned.
An evidentiary hearing took place on November 10, 2020 and the arbitrator rendered the opinion.
Chi Lewis-Parry (“CLP” as he was referred to in the arbitration decision) signed a contract with the UFC on August 20, 2019. He was sent an email by USADA on August 21, 2019 that explained the onboarding process of being a part of the UFC antidoping program and in the testing pool of athletes. A week later CLP submitted a declaration online that indicated all supplements he had been using prior to entering the testing pool. The same day he had a phone call with a USADA representative. He noted that he had an asthma medication he did not previously declare. He was given another declaration.
In the second declaration he noted that he took testosterone and “potentially EQ (unsure).” He indicated that he took these in July 2018. What was unknown at the time was the initials EQ. It turned out that it was “Equipoise,” the brand name of a veterinary drug that included boldenone. Boldenone is a WADA banned substance at all times.
CLP argued that he was the victim of a tainted supplement. He requested adjournment of proceedings twice so that he could have a supplement tested. He eventually falsified information.
Chi Lewis-Perry, who had not fought in #UFC is sanctioned 4 years by #USADA for attempting to falsify evidence. Among the problems, he contaminated his own sample as evidence of contamination. pic.twitter.com/zde221hBQo
— Jason Cruz (@dilletaunt) December 5, 2020
Payout Perspective:
This is just the second time in the existence of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy that the independent arbitrator has enforced a punitive sanction due to the athlete’s attempt to conceal or misrepresent information. You may recall that Franciso Rivera attempted to use a theory of ‘tainted meat’ to conceal use of a banned substance. That handed him a 4 year suspension. Here, CLP attempted to submit a tainted supplement he ‘tainted’ himself. Not a good idea and it does not help to misrepresent the facts to USADA. From the outset, it appeared that CLP was hiding something from the UFC, from the omissions from his initial intake of supplements he was taking prior to the UFC, to the request to have supplements tested to his own tainting. It only cost him an additional sanction which puts CLP into his 40s when he might return.
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