Ning Guangyou tested positive for trace amounts of clenbuterol in an out-of-competition drug test in May, but the UFC fighter will not be facing a suspension.
The announcement of no suspension for Guangyou was announced by USADA in a press release on Tuesday and the complete statement from USADA is below.
USADA announced today that UFC athlete Ning Guangyou, of China, has tested positive for a prohibited substance, which was determined to have been ingested by him without fault or negligence.
Guangyou, 34, tested positive for trace amounts of clenbuterol as the result of an out-of-competition urine sample he provided on May 19, 2016. Clenbuterol is an Anabolic Agent prohibited at all times under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, which has adopted the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List. Consistent with numerous prior reported cases globally, the issue of illicit administration of clenbuterol to animals destined for food production can result in, under specific conditions, a positive sample from an athlete. WADA has issued specific warnings about this problem in China and Mexico. To USADA’s knowledge, due to strict regulatory and meat certification practices, a clenbuterol positive athlete sample has never been reported after consumption of meat produced in the U.S.
USADA reviewed all of the evidence, including the athlete’s whereabouts, dietary habits, and the laboratory reports demonstrating very low parts per billion concentrations of the prohibited substance in the athlete’s urine sample, and concluded that the presence of clenbuterol in the athlete’s sample very likely resulted from clenbuterol contaminated meat consumed in China. As a result, Guangyou will not face a period of ineligibility for his positive test.
While the risk of consuming clenbuterol-tainted meat and testing positive for an athlete is extremely small, consistent with past athlete advisories, USADA reminds athletes to use the utmost care if eating meat in known high risk countries, including Mexico and China. In line with WADA recommendations, USADA will continue to assess the presence of clenbuterol in an athlete’s sample on a case by case basis, taking into account all the evidence supporting the likelihood of such contamination.
USADA conducts the year-round, independent anti-doping program for all UFC athletes. USADA is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental agency whose sole mission is to preserve the integrity of competition, inspire true sport, and protect the rights of clean athletes. The anti-doping program run by USADA for UFC athletes includes education, science and research, testing, and results management. Official UFC Anti-Doping Program information and athlete resources are available at UFC.USADA.org.
Following the press release from USADA, the UFC released their own statement on the situation involving Guangyou, who was scheduled to compete next weekend at UFC 202 against Marlon Vera. In the statement released by the UFC (available below), the promotion announced that Guangyou’s bout against Vera has been moved to UFC on FOX 21 on Saturday, August 27 in Vancouver.
The UFC organization was notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, has completed an investigation into the circumstances of a positive test for Ning Guangyou, resulting in a no-fault sanction with no period of ineligibility.
In late July, UFC was made aware of USADA’s investigation into the source of the prohibited substance clenbuterol in an out of competition sample collected from Ning Guangyou. Given it was initially unclear as to the timing of the resolution of the investigation, UFC made the decision to move Guangyou’s scheduled bout against Marlon Vera on August 20, 2016 at UFC 202 to UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Condit in Vancouver, BC on August 27, 2016.
The matchup between Guangyou and Vera will be part of the UFC on FOX 21 preliminary card on UFC Fight Pass and is slated to be the opening bout of the fight card.