Brian Bowles Suspended and Fined by NSAC for 20:1 T/E Ratio at UFC 160

Talk about a record you don't want to beat.

Brian Bowles now holds the distinction of worst testosterone-to-epitestosterone (T/E) ratio of any competitor in the history of mixed martial arts (MMA) drug testing. The smallest man among the bunch takes home the gold medal, beating out previous record holder Chael Sonnen (16.9) by a smashing margin.

Heavyweight Alistair Overeem (14:1) falls to a distant third.

This is akin to when Bob Beamon shattered the long jump record, but with a negative result. Sitting at a 20:1 T/E ratio -- when the limit is just 6:1 -- was enough to earn Bowles a nine-month suspension from the NSAC and prompted the following statement (via ESPN):

"I just want to apologize to the athletic commission... it's embarrassing to me and it's embarrassing to the sport. I swear on my mother's life I was not shooting testosterone. It blew my mind when I heard how high my ratios were. I went and looked through everything (I took). I didn't have a lot of money because I wasn't fighting. I was taking less supplements than I normally do."

Bowles is claiming the fairly standard "unknown supplements" line, but in his case, it's entirely possible that he isn't full of horse bull. Because of his injury, Bowles was coming off an 18-month layoff and said financially, he couldn't afford to take his usual list of supplements.

For the record, his suspension is backdated to the date of the fight: May 25, 2013.

While Bowles is expected to reapply after serving his suspension, the odds on Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) cutting him are very high at the moment, as he's now lost two in a row, including a second-round technical knockout at the hands of George Roop at UFC 160 earlier this year in Las Vegas.

Anyone think he's innocent?