As revealed by the post fight drug tests for UFC on FX 6 in Australia, two participants tested positive for banned substances. Those men, Rousimar Palhares (who tested positive for elevated testosterone levels) and Joey Beltran (who tested positive for Nandrolone), were fairly notable fighters before the event, but have now been the subject of much scrutiny.
Beltran, whose underdog win over Igor Pokrajac seemed to be indicative of an unexpected career upswing, has now taken to twitter to apologize for the "shame" of his result, while denying he ever injected the substance he tested positive for.
"I can say without a shadow of a doubt I did not inject Nandrolone into my body. I am sorry to my family and friends for the shame this brought to any of you. I promise soon the whole story will be told and I will go through whatever is necessary to find the reason for this positive test. I am at fault for taking a supplement or perhaps combination of something that caused my test result. My team and I will seek the truth. I am sorry once again and truly apologize to the people that matter the most to me."
Beltran is choosing a route we know all too well as mixed martial arts (MMA) fans, claiming that a tainted supplement was the cause of his drug test failure. He would join the likes of fighters like Cristiane Santos and Muhammed Lawal, who also allege they unknowingly took supplements that had banned substances in them.
It's unfortunate to see his career go this way, as he finally looked to have put it all together to actually become a decent light heavyweight and not just an exciting brawler. Even with his vehement denial, it's difficult to not be skeptical at this point, and it would not be surprising to see him receive some major consequences in addition to his nine-month suspension.
Time will tell.
What say you, Maniacs? Anyone willing to give him the benefit of the doubt?