Josh Barnett — who recently failed a pre-fight drug screening for anabolic steroids prior to a showdown with Fedor Emelianenko at Affliction: “Trilogy” on Aug. 1 — is now speaking out against the ‘hasty decisions’ that were made in light of a test result that “The Babyface Assassin” now refutes.
Barnett’s positive test led to Affliction MMA’s house of cards to come crashing down, calling it quits as a fight promoter and returning to the UFC as a corporate sponsor with its clothing brand. Several intriguing fights were scrapped as a result, forcing fighters to search for work elsewhere … Barnett included.
Now the former PRIDE and UFC star is calling into question the integrity of those results alleged by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC).
From his official press release:
The media has reported that Mixed Martial Arts Heavyweight fighter Josh Barnett would not be eligible to fight Fedor Emelianenko at Affliction Trilogy as he was denied his California license due to an alleged positive test for 2α-methyl-5α-androstan-3α-ol-17-one, which is purportedly a metabolite of a banned substance.
Mr. Barnett was shocked at these allegations and was extremely disappointed to learn that Affliction had made the hasty decision to cancel the August 1st event in its entirety. Mr. Barnett vehemently denies intentionally ingesting any banned substances in preparation for the August 1st fight and he is looking forward to presenting his case to the California State Athletic Commission.
In the meantime, Mr. Barnett has yet to learn of the results of the B sample testing and he has not received any of the documentation that provides further details of the alleged positive sample despite numerous requests. In fact, the documentation that Mr. Barnett has received raises serious questions about the integrity of the sample and the validity of the results themselves.
At this time Mr. Barnett would like to thank his fans and colleagues for their ongoing support and faith in him. He intends to vigorously defend himself against these allegations and hopes for a swift resolution to this matter so he can get back to what he does best — fighting!
I would like to further add that Josh is as disappointed as all of his fans and supporters that he will not be fighting on August 1st. He also empathizes with all of the other fighters that were scheduled to appear on the card and shares their frustration and shock at the cancellation of the entire event.
Barnett indicated that he intends to appeal this most recent steroid finding with the CSAC. His second “B” sample is currently being tested to confirm the initial positive result.
If it’s upheld it could mean that Barnett’s license to fight in the United States could be revoked for a good amount of time, forcing him to remain exiled in Japan indefinitely. With a looming Sengoku heavyweight grand prix looming and a successful wrestling career, however, it may not be such a bad twist of fate after all.
Keep in locked on MMAmania.com as we’ll let you know more on Barnett’s future when it’s announced.
http://mmamania.com/2009/07/29/josh-bar ... -the-csac/
