Carlos Diego Ferreira suspended 17 months for failed drug test
UFC lightweight Carlos Diego Ferreira has accepted a 17-month suspension from USADA after admitting use of a banned substance as well as testing positive for a second banned substance during an out-of-competition drug test administered on April 29.
According to officials from USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency), Ferreira actually declared use of one banned substance before a test revealed the second banned substance in his system.
"Ferreira, 31, tested positive for Ostarine as a result of an out-of-competition drug test conducted on April 29, 2016. During the sample collection process, Ferreira declared the use of a product on his sample paperwork that listed the prohibited substance 7-keto-DHEA (7‐keto-dehydroepiandrosterone) as an ingredient," USADA officials said in a statement.
"Ferreira’s sample was subsequently reported as adverse for the presence of Ostarine, a prohibited Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator (SARM), along with a laboratory finding that was consistent with Ferreira’s declared use of a product containing 7-keto-DHEA. Both Ostarine and 7-keto-DHEA are prohibited substances in the class of Anabolic Agents and prohibited at all times under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, which has adopted the WADA Prohibited List."
Ferreira ultimately had several supplements he was taking tested for Ostarine and it turns out the same product that contained 7-keto-DHEA was also tainted for the other banned substance in his system. Ferreira claimed at the time that he was unaware that 7-keto-DHEA was listed as a banned substance.
"Testing conclusively confirmed that although the supplement only listed one prohibited substance as an ingredient (7-keto-DHEA), it actually contained 7-keto-DHEA and a second undeclared prohibited substance (Ostarine) as well," USADA officials stated.
Due to the circumstances surrounding his failed drug test, Ferreira's suspension was reduced from the standard two-year sanction down to 17 months.
Ferreira was already suspended back in June by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for a term of one year, but the UFC will abide by their own anti-doping policy with the longer sanction handed down from USADA instead.
Ferreira's 17-month suspension started on April 29 so he should be eligible to return to action at the end of September 2017.
There have been questions about the length of Ferreira's sanction at 17 months versus former UFC champion Lyoto Machida, who received an 18 month suspension when he also revealed his use of 7-keto-DHEA ahead of his fight with Dan Henderson earlier this year.
FOX Sports reached out to USADA representatives who explained that in Ferreira's case, he showed an attempt to inform his decision making by using resources available to him along with downloading the application for his phone that gives information on banned substances and supplements.
As far as the other banned substance — Ostarine — was found due to a contaminated product, similar to what Yoel Romero and Tim Means went through with their doping cases and in both instances they received reduced sentences as a result.
