Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos, female 145-pound fighter considered by many to be the best female fighter in the world, tested positive last week for a banned steroid, Winstrol, often used by bodybuilders.
The Brazilian fighter is coming off a 16-second knockout victory over recent challenger Hiroko Yamanaka, which will now be ruled a no-contest. She will be stripped of her title and suspended for one year from fighting professionally.
"Cyborg" has showed such dominance that she has recently had trouble finding opponents wiling to fight her. MMA newcomer and Olympic Judo bronze medalist Ronda Rousey sparked controversy in December when she stated her belief that Santos was using performance enhancing drugs.
But now, with Cyborg sidelined for a year, the female 145lb title lies vacant. This may be good for the sport in general, which has been suffering from a lack of competition at the top level. Female MMA newcomers such as Meisha Tate and Ronda Rousey, as well as veterans like Marloes Coenen and Gina Carano, will not have to worry about Cyborg for at least 12 months time.
Responding to the results of the drug test, Cyborg stated that she had taken dietary supplements to help with her pre-fight weight cut, and that she was unaware of the supplements' illegal contents..
The Brazilian fighter is coming off a 16-second knockout victory over recent challenger Hiroko Yamanaka, which will now be ruled a no-contest. She will be stripped of her title and suspended for one year from fighting professionally.
"Cyborg" has showed such dominance that she has recently had trouble finding opponents wiling to fight her. MMA newcomer and Olympic Judo bronze medalist Ronda Rousey sparked controversy in December when she stated her belief that Santos was using performance enhancing drugs.
But now, with Cyborg sidelined for a year, the female 145lb title lies vacant. This may be good for the sport in general, which has been suffering from a lack of competition at the top level. Female MMA newcomers such as Meisha Tate and Ronda Rousey, as well as veterans like Marloes Coenen and Gina Carano, will not have to worry about Cyborg for at least 12 months time.
Responding to the results of the drug test, Cyborg stated that she had taken dietary supplements to help with her pre-fight weight cut, and that she was unaware of the supplements' illegal contents..
..........ya think?
