Earlier today, WWE finally released a statement on the current situation surrounding former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, who was flagged by USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) for a failed drug test administered on June 28th, prior to UFC 200, where he defeated heavyweight Mark Hunt by unanimous decision.
Since this news broke, Hunt has been very vocal against the UFC and Brock Lesnar. He stated the following on his own website, MarkHunt.TV:
“They say they are trying to clean up the sport, but it doesn’t feel like it. The UFC is basically saying if you cheat you won’t be penalized. This is the third time I’ve had to fight a cheater in my career. The other two times I didn’t ask for compensation, but this is the third time and I’m sick of them getting away with cheating. I’ve told Dana [White] that I want a release from the UFC if they don’t sort this out.”
WWE stated the following:
“Brock Lesnar has not performed for WWE since WrestleMania and is not scheduled to return until Sunday, Aug. 21.”
At this time, it’s unclear if WWE will punish Lesnar for this Anti-Doping violation. It’s unlikely due to the fact that he hasn’t competed for WWE for several months. Also, it’s unclear if USADA and the WWE’s Wellness Policy have the same list of banned substances. Unlike USADA, the WWE’s Wellness Policy is not an independent organization (like USADA), so WWE can pretty much do as they would like with their talent.
WWE just recently suspended former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns for violating the Wellness Policy, which indicates that the company does indeed test their superstars and divas.
As it stands right now, Lesnar is still expected to compete at WWE SummerSlam on August 21st in Brooklyn, New York against Randy Orton, who is returning from a shoulder and neck injury.
But WWE wasn’t the only ones to make a statement today, as Brock Lesnar made a quick comment to the Associated Press:
“We will get to the bottom of this.”
There are a ton of rumors as to what Lesnar was flagged for, but there has been nothing concrete at this time. According to MMAFighting.com, Brock Lesnar was tested a total of 8 times prior to UFC 200 — five of which were administered in the first two weeks of the announcement of his fight. USADA spokesperson Ryan Madden confirmed that Lesnar passed multiple tests before the June 28 sample came back positive for a prohibited agent.
Madden stated the following to MMAFighting.com:
“With Mr. Lesnar having spoken publicly about the issue, I can confirm that he has been notified of a potential anti-doping policy violation, stemming from an out-of-competition sample collection on June 28, 2016. I can also confirm that the results from his previous samples collected by USADA were all reported as negative. Although USADA will not be providing any further specifics of the case at this time, I can tell you that Mr. Lesnar, as with every athlete under the UFC anti-doping policy, will be provided full due process under the rules.”
Lesnar will get a full adjudication process and chance to clear his name with USADA. If he is found guilty, Lesnar could be facing a two-year suspension from the UFC’s anti-doping partner, plus further sanctions from the NAC (Nevada Athletic Commission). USADA does not release the name of the substance an athlete tests positive for until the completion of the adjudication process or the athlete makes it public first.
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Lesnar needs to be suspended. Letting him go without punishment because he’s a part-timer sends a horrible message to the locker room and fans. If Gunn was punished for failing a test for a non WWE event, Lesnar should at least be suspended.