Devilprince
23-05-2010, 01:35
Six fighters from this past Saturday's "Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery" event have tested negative for performance-enhancers and drugs of abuse in the organization's independent testing.
Strikeforce spokesperson Mike Afromowitz confirmed the news today with MMAjunkie.com (http://mmajunkie.com/) (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com
(http://www.mmajunkie.com)).
Included on the list of clean fighters is Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem, who faced accusations of performance-enhancer use leading up his headlining fight with challenger Brett Rogers. Overeem won the bout in dominating fashion with a first-round TKO.
"Strikeforce St. Louis: Heavy Artillery" took place May 15 at the Scottrade Center in Missouri.
Also tested from the card were Antonio Silva, who defeated Andrei Arlovski by unanimous decision; Joey Villasenor, who lost a unanimous decision to grappling ace Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza; and Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante, who knocked out Antwain Britt on the Showtime-televised card's opening bout (Souza and Britt also underwent testing.)
Test results for the rest of the event's main-card competitors – Rogers, Arlovski, Roger Gracie and Kevin Randleman – are not yet available.
Strikeforce ordered the tests amid concerns over the protocols used by the Missouri Office of Athletics, which oversaw the May 15 event. Prior to the event, the commission said its bylaws did not facilitate across-the-board testing for performance enhancers and drugs of abuse, and officials expressed a desire to keep the process random in order to maintain the element of surprise.
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, however, said across-the-board testing was necessary to legitimize the event's results and worked with a local facility to implement the testing.
"We fixed the problem by drug testing everybody," he told MMAjunkie.com. "If there's a problem, we'll let people know. It was the right thing to do because the commission is doing random testing, and I didn't want to leave any chance or a crack of skepticism. And this puts everybody in check.
"We will do it again if we have to."
Results from the MOA's drug tests are not publicly disclosed unless an athlete tests positive for a banned substance.
Strikeforce spokesperson Mike Afromowitz confirmed the news today with MMAjunkie.com (http://mmajunkie.com/) (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com
(http://www.mmajunkie.com)).
Included on the list of clean fighters is Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem, who faced accusations of performance-enhancer use leading up his headlining fight with challenger Brett Rogers. Overeem won the bout in dominating fashion with a first-round TKO.
"Strikeforce St. Louis: Heavy Artillery" took place May 15 at the Scottrade Center in Missouri.
Also tested from the card were Antonio Silva, who defeated Andrei Arlovski by unanimous decision; Joey Villasenor, who lost a unanimous decision to grappling ace Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza; and Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante, who knocked out Antwain Britt on the Showtime-televised card's opening bout (Souza and Britt also underwent testing.)
Test results for the rest of the event's main-card competitors – Rogers, Arlovski, Roger Gracie and Kevin Randleman – are not yet available.
Strikeforce ordered the tests amid concerns over the protocols used by the Missouri Office of Athletics, which oversaw the May 15 event. Prior to the event, the commission said its bylaws did not facilitate across-the-board testing for performance enhancers and drugs of abuse, and officials expressed a desire to keep the process random in order to maintain the element of surprise.
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, however, said across-the-board testing was necessary to legitimize the event's results and worked with a local facility to implement the testing.
"We fixed the problem by drug testing everybody," he told MMAjunkie.com. "If there's a problem, we'll let people know. It was the right thing to do because the commission is doing random testing, and I didn't want to leave any chance or a crack of skepticism. And this puts everybody in check.
"We will do it again if we have to."
Results from the MOA's drug tests are not publicly disclosed unless an athlete tests positive for a banned substance.