|
|
  - MELVIN GUILLARD SUSPENDED FOR 8 MONTHS BY NSAC
Wednesday, May 09, 2007 - by Ivan Trembow - MMAWeekly.com
Breaking News on MMAWeekly: Lightweight UFC fighter and former Ultimate Fighter contestant Melvin Guillard was suspended for eight months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission at a disciplinary hearing today in Las Vegas. He was also fined $2,100 out of his $7,000 purse for the fight.
Guillard tested positive for Benzoylegonine, a major metabolite of cocaine, following his loss to Joe Stevenson at UFC Fight Night 9 on April 5th. Guillard's fight against Stevenson was the card's main event, and it aired live on Spike TV.
Guillard was the first MMA fighter to test positive for cocaine in the state of Nevada. In neighboring California, only one MMA fighter, Ricco Rodriguez, has tested positive for cocaine.
At his disciplinary hearing in front of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Guillard admitted that he used cocaine. Guillard said that on Friday, March 30th, he was hanging out with some friends and not intending to use any drugs, but "one thing led to another" and he ended up trying cocaine. Guillard said that he thought the drug would be out of his system within 72 hours and that he absolutely did not expect to test positive when he fought six days later.
Guillard said, "I've only been introduced to drugs in the past year or so." He added that he has only used drugs for recreational purposes, and that he does not have an addiction. Guillard did not specify which other drugs he has used, but he did state that he has never used performance-enhancing drugs.
Guillard said to the commissioners, "I made an honest mistake. I embarrassed myself, and I embarrassed my family." Guillard said that the hardest part of the whole process was explaining to his mother what he had done. Guillard added that he has subsequently tried to put himself in a new environment with different people surrounding him and that he does not intend to use drugs in the future.
The commissioners said that there is precedent on the sentencing of fighters who test positive for certain drugs, but that they also have some leeway to give suspensions on the low end of the spectrum or the high end of the spectrum. The commissioners did appreciate Guillard's honesty and the fact that he appeared to be remorseful for his actions. At that point, a motion was introduced to suspend Guillard for eight months from the date of the fight and to fine him 30 percent of his purse for the fight (or $2,100 out of his $7,000 purse). The motion passed unanimously.
There has never been a positive cocaine test for a fighter in the state of Nevada. Professional boxer Omar Nino tested positive for methamphetamine in March 2006 and was given a suspension of nine months, one month longer than Guillard's suspension.
Although Guillard was the only fighter on the UFC Fight Night 9 card to have failed his drug test, only six of the card's eighteen fighters were drug-tested. The NSAC spent a total of $1,670 on drug testing for UFC Fight Night 9, while the total cost of drug testing every single fighter on the card would have been $5,011. No fighters at all were drug-tested at UFC 69, which took place in Houston, Texas; or at UFC 70, which took place in Manchester, England.
The issue of drug-testing in MMA has become increasingly prevalent as more and more fighters have failed drug tests. At a teleconference prior to UFC 70, when a reporter raised the issue with UFC president Dana White and specifically mentioned Diego Sanchez' positive test for marijuana and Melvin Guillard's positive test for cocaine, White said that it always sucks whenever any UFC fighter tests positive for anything. When the reporter asked if the UFC would consider instituting random drug testing of its own, in addition to the athletic commission drug testing that always takes place on the day of the events, White did not directly address the question. Instead, he said that all of the fighters on The Ultimate Fighter reality show have to pass a drug test before they can be on the show, and some of the other fighters are drug-tested by the athletic commissions, but he concluded, "I don't know what else I can do."
Guillard will have to provide a negative drug test to the NSAC before he will be allowed to fight again in the state of Nevada.
BACK TO THE NEWS
Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday
Related Articles :
- - MELVIN GUILLARD TESTS POSITIVE FOR COCAINE (Friday, April 13, 2007)
Lightweight UFC fighter Melvin Guillard tested positive for a major metabolite of cocaine following his bout with Joe Stevenson at last week's UFC Fight Night 9, according to the Nevada State Athletic Commission...
- - SUSPENSIONS HANDED DOWN FOR DIAZ, COPE, & PEARSON (Tuesday, April 10, 2007)
The Nevada State Athletic Commission today handed down suspensions and overturned one fight result for mixed martial artists Joe Pearson, Kit Cope, and Nick Diaz...
- - STEVENSON & FLORIAN DOMINATE AT UFC FIGHT NIGHT (Friday, April 06, 2007)
Both Joe Stevenson and Kenny Florian proved their mettle as UFC lightweight contenders at last night's UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas, Nev...
- - WEC DRUG TESTS COME BACK NEGATIVE (Thursday, April 05, 2007)
All of the drug tests that were administered at WEC 26 in Las Vegas late last month have come back negative for all banned substances. Tests were administered to eight of the twenty fighters on the card...
- - NUMEROUS MMA DRUG TEST FAILURES IN CALIFORNIA (Tuesday, April 03, 2007)
Welterweight UFC star Diego Sanchez is far from the only fighter to have a positive drug test in California that was not publicly disclosed at the time, as MMAWeekly has obtained documentation indicating that nearly two dozen MMA fighters have failed drug tests in California...
- - DIEGO SANCHEZ FAILED DRUG TEST AFTER UFC FIGHT IN DECEMBER (Friday, March 23, 2007)
Ultimate Fighting Championship star Diego Sanchez tested positive for marijuana after his December 13th victory over Joe Riggs and was suspended by the California State Athletic Commission...
- - UFC FIGHTERS PASS DRUG TESTS (Friday, March 16, 2007)
The drug test results have come back from UFC 68, and all of the fighters who were tested at the event tested negative for banned substances...
- - BREAKING NEWS: NICK DIAZ FAILS DRUG TEST (Monday, March 05, 2007)
Breaking News on MMAWeekly: Nick Diaz has failed the drug test that he took following his win over Takanori Gomi at Pride 33: The Second Coming...
- - KEVIN RANDLEMAN AT A CROSSROADS (Sunday, February 18, 2007)
The last year and a half has been a very turbulent time in the life of Pride and UFC veteran Kevin Randleman. With his body ravaged by a severe infection, Randleman's journey has had twists, turns, and close calls.
- - IN-DEPTH: COMMISSION HEARINGS FOR RANDLEMAN, YVEL, ALVES, TOUGHILL, & CARVALHO (Friday, February 16, 2007)
Kevin Randleman, Thiago Alves, and Aaron Carvalho have each been suspended as a result of their recent drug test failures, while Gilbert Yvel has been denied a fighters' license in Nevada and Erin Toughill has been granted one. MMAWeekly's in-depth coverage of all five cases is inside...
- - BREAKING NEWS: WEC'S JOE PEARSON FAILS DRUG TEST (Monday, January 29, 2007)
Joe Pearson, who fought for the WEC Featherweight Title at the first Zuffa-owned WEC event on January 20th, has tested positive for a metabolite form of the active ingredient in marijuana...
- - KIT COPE TESTS POSITIVE FOR STEROIDS (Thursday, January 25, 2007)
A report from the Nevada State Athletic Commission states that Kit Cope has tested positive for steroids; Cope does not deny it...
- - VITOR BELFORT & PAWEL NASTULA SUSPENDED (Thursday, December 21, 2006)
Breaking News on MMAWeekly: Vitor Belfort and Pawel Nastula have each been suspended for nine months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission as a result of their positive tests for banned substances. In-depth coverage inside...
- - BONNAR SUSPENDED 9 MONTHS FOR STEROID USE (Friday, November 03, 2006)
Stephan Bonnar has been suspended for nine months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission as a result of Bonnar's positive test for anabolic steroids following his fight against Forrest Griffin at UFC 62...
Copyright 2009 MMA Weekly LLC. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of MMA Weekly content is expressly prohibited without expressed written consent of MMA Weekly. MMA Weekly will not be liable for any errors in content or any action taken in reliance thereof.
|
|
|
|
