Report: Chad Mendes USADA anti-doping violation attributed to skin cream

Innocent until proven creamy?

Two-time Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight title contender, Chad Mendes, was suspended two years after testing positive for GHRP-6 -- a banned substance designed to increase the production of growth hormone -- during an out-of-competition drug test administered by United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) back in June.

Now we know why, according to Bloody Elbow:

Chad Mendes' positive drug test for Growth Hormone-Releasing Hexapeptide (GHRP-6) was triggered by a cream used to treat his lifelong skin condition, a source close to Mendes told BloodyElbow.com. The UFC featherweight contender used the cream without knowing it contained GHRP-6, per the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

That's a hefty price to pay for not doing your homework.

Once considered the second-best featherweight in all of mixed martial arts (MMA), second only to then-champion Jose Aldo, the Team Alpha Male standout has not competed since a quick knockout loss to Frankie Edgar last December and is now just 1-3 dating back to 2013.

As it stands, "Money" can return to the till in 2018.