USADA has caught another fighter for doping, but once again it’s not looking like a big score for the anti-doping agency.
Bobby Green went on Instagram Live yesterday to announce he was being suspended for taking DHEA tablets he’d bought at a Wal-Mart after a doctor on YouTube touted it’s use as a natural supplement. DHEA aka dehydroepiandrosterone aka androstenolone aka ‘The D-Hizzy’ (just kidding on that last one) is an endogenous steroid hormone precursor on USADA’s banned substance list.
“I’m crushed,” Green said in a 35-minute video posted to social media. “I’m like, What the f—? I had no idea what I was doing, that it was wrong, that there was any benefits to that to what I was doing … I would never try to lie.”
“I’m against PEDs,” Green continued. “I would never even think about those things. I’ve never even looked at the site to know what is banned and what is not. I don’t give a f— because I don’t pay attention.”
Unfortunately for Green, ‘not paying attention’ is not considered a valid defense when it comes to USADA suspensions. After the organization noticed abnormalities in his testosterone levels, they notified him. It’s unclear at this point how long Green may be suspended at this point, but USADA suspensions for first-time abusers can last from one to two years.
Green was looking to bounce back from a disappointing first round loss to Islam Makhachev in February 2022. He was set to face Jim Miller at UFC 276, but was pulled from the card after failing his USADA drug test. Now we know why.
While this may be seen as evidence that the drug-testing system works, it continues to mainly trip up athletes who accidentally take the wrong supplements or tainted supplements. Earlier this week Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos tested positive for minute levels of ostarine that implied contaminated supplement use, but was still suspended from UFC competition for a year.
It’s been a while since USADA has caught a ‘big fish,’ like T.J. Dillashaw back in 2019. In the meantime, Paulo Costa taunts the organization with his ‘Secret Juice’ and Conor McGregor may not even be in the program as he recovers from a bad leg break and continues to pack on pounds of muscle. Fortunately, they are catching the Bobby Greens of the sport.