It took [autotag]Marc-Andre Barriault[/autotag] four tries to pick up his first UFC victory, but he finally secured it June 20 – or so he thought.
Wednesday, Barriault’s first promotional victory, earned against Oskar Piechota at UFC on ESPN 11, was overturned to a no contest by the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) at its monthly meeting.
The NAC overturned the result due to a positive U.S. Anti-Doping Agency drug test in which Barriault tested positive for ostarine, a “selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) that is not approved for human use or consumption in the U.S., or in any other country,” according to USADA.
Barriault was suspended nine months, fined $2,100, and has to pay prosecution fees of $254.38, a commission official informed MMA Junkie.
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On Aug. 5, Barriault issued a statement to MMA Junkie. He denied any wrongdoing and was unsure of how ostarine entered his system.
You can read Barriault’s statement in full below:
Following a communication from the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) last week, I wanted to clarify the current situation to all my fans, the medias and everybody involved in the sport of mixed martial arts.
I was notified last week that an in-competition sample that I provided to the NSAC the night of my last fight on June 20, 2020 was positive for an extremely low level (approximately 190 picograms or 190 parts per trillion) of the prohibited substance, Ostarine. First and foremost, I want to make things crystal clear, I did not intentionally use Ostarine, nor have I ever knowingly used any prohibited substance in my career. Since the beginning of my professional career, I have been tested 3 times by the Quebec athletic commission, and a total of 7 times under the UFC/USADA program and have always tested negative.
Since I found out about this last week, I have learned quite a bit about Ostarine, specifically that it is commonly found as a low-level contaminant in certain dietary supplements, often at levels that provide absolutely no performance enhancing benefit. I strongly believe that a supplement contaminant is the reason for my low level positive, and I am actively working with the UFC on reviewing and testing supplements that I have used prior to my June 20th fight, in the hope of identifying the culprit.
While I am extremely disappointed in this development, I am looking forward to finding a definitive explanation for my low-level positive test, to fully cooperating with the NSAC and to getting back to work in the Octagon soon.
Barriault, 30, will be eligible to return to action on March 20.
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