In Mixed Martial Arts, there is a culture of guilty until proven innocent. Despite a failed drug test for a banned substance, UFC Middleweight Yoel Romero protests his innocence, believing he’s a victim of said culture.
As 2015 drew to a close, it was all going Romero’s way. Beating Ronaldo ‘Jacara’ Souza at UFC 194 in what was hyped as a number one contenders match for the Middleweight championship, Romero looked set to be new champion Luke Rockhold’s first title defense.
Then, the drug test, the failure and the accusations.
Fellow UFC fighters, such as Tim Kennedy and Michael Bisping were particularly fierce with their criticism.
“So Yoel tests positive, not surprised at all #roider of God is a cheating scumbag, @TimKennedyMMA I feel ur pain having been there before,” said Bisping in a tweet.
“If you get caught juicing once it should be life ban. This isn’t baseball, your trying to hurt people. He gorilla smashed Jacare in 1st,” said Lightweight Chris Wade.
Today though, Romero appeared on MMAFighting’s MMA Hour with his manager Malki Kawa to argue his case for innocence. According to them, banned substance was due to a contaminated supplement that was meant to be completely above board.
“The substance has a label with a bunch of stuff on it,” Kawa, who is also manager to Jon Jones, said. “None of that is illegal to take. What he got popped for is not on the label. So it’s obviously not his fault that he popped for this.”
After every failed test, USADA (the agency who carries out testing for the UFC) allows a protocol of due process. Namely, a ‘B’ sample that was also taken at the time of testing is sent to be examined for similar banned substances.
Related story: The USADA Era is Underway as January Shows Increased Drug Testing
Kawa said that USADA is still currently examining the supposed legal supplement in question and that the banned substance for which Romero failed wasn’t on the supplements label. As such, Romero and Kawa believe Romero shouldn’t face punishment.
Currently, USADA rules state that a person with a failed test could earn a suspension from the sport for two years, a sentence that Romero hopes to avoid.
Through his manager and a translator, Romero said that he’s been training his entire life, and a driving force for that has been his family. Romero said that if he were to take a banned substance, he’s well aware that he could potentially get caught, and with a punishment of a two year suspension, the idea to take performance enhancing drugs would be a stupid one. The idea of not being able to provide for his family, for him, apparently ruled out any benefits to taking such a drug.
Kawa chose not to reveal the name of the contaminated substance, due to USADA’s ongoing investigation, but acknowledged that both Romero’s ‘A’ and ‘B’ tests failed for the same drug, but USADA and Romero’s team have found that Romero’s substance was indeed contaminated.
Kawa said he hoped in light of the substance contamination that it proved Romero took illegal substances unwillingly that Romero wouldn’t receive a punishment.
It’s bottom line this. The supplement has a label on it with a bunch of stuff on it, none of that is illegal to take, what he got popped for was not on the label, so it’s obviously not his fault that he popped for this. That’s our position on it at this point.
“All I can say is USADA have been great to work with so far,” said Kawa. “They’ve gone above and beyond what I think I could have asked of them to do for us in this case.”
In response to the interview, USADA released a statement regarding the Romero case.
“At this time we are investigating the circumstances surrounding his positive test to determine the appropriate outcome, in accordance with the rules,” said the statement. “It is also important to remember that there is a full and fair legal process to handle the adjudication of any case, and all athletes are provided full due process before any decision is reached.”
As for his colleagues, Romero wasn’t best pleased with some of the comments aimed his way.
“I heard everybody,” Romero said (again via a translator). “I heard everybody. I have the heart of a Christian, but they don’t know the old Yoel Romero. They’re asking for the old Romero. They need to be careful.
“I can be real mean.”
