Fact Checked by Sign up to Get FREE Steroids, SARMS, Peptides eBooks
UFC middleweight Ricardo Abreu has announced his retirement after he failed another drug test of the United States Anti-Doping Agency stemming from a December 21 sample collection.
Abreu was suspended previously by USADA for two years after he tested positive for anabolic steroid metabolites Norandrosterone and 19-Noretiocholanolone in June 2016. Abreu was currently ineligible to compete in the UFC until July 1, 2018 and made his announcement to retire. A second anti-doping violation could double the suspension of Abreu and the “aggravating circumstances” clause in the UFC's anti-doping policy could lengthen the ban even more.
Under the “aggravating circumstances” portion of the policy, an athlete can be sanctioned up to a period of two more years if the violation was intentional, the Anti-Doping Policy Violation had significant potential to enhance the Bout performance of an athletes and one of the following other factors: it was part of a “doping plan or scheme;” the athlete possessed multiple prohibited substances or methods or used a prohibited substance or method multiple times; or the athlete engaged in obstructive or deceptive conduct to avoid detection or adjudication.
The 32-year-old Abreu is the second UFC fighter to face a second anti-doping policy violation ever since UFC partnered with USADA in July 2015. George Sullivan failed a drug test while serving a doping suspension of one year last month.
The former “Ultimate Fighter Brazil” competitor revealed he was having issues to feed his family, including his pregnant wife and three year old son. Abreu said he sought professional help from a psychologist and bioidentical hormone replacement was suggested to him. The fighter said he did not obtain clearance from the UFC as he had no intention to considered fighting in the UFC at that time. Abreu added he failed the drug test because he was under treatment. The middleweight fighter said he had symptoms of depression for a long time and was fortunate to have the support of Wanderlei Silva and his lovely family for a long time, to live and train in California. Abreu added living in California was too expensive, though, and since the sponsorship money was coming from Brazil, the crisis there impacted everything and the crisis in Brazil got worse and he was notified by his sponsor that they could not sponsor him anymore because of it.
Abreu added his wife could not work in the United States due to her visa and therefore he was the only one bringing money home. The fighter added he had a fight coming up against Daniel Kelly at UFC 193 in Australia but decided to focus on his health and pulled himself out from the fight even though he needed the money to provide to his family. Abreu added he was undergoing a bioidentical hormone replacement and told USADA officials about it when they came to test him and yet they tested him. Abreu said he is not surprised that some traces of the medication were still in his body at time of the anti-doping test.
