Outside Source
The Bellator 185 main event is now officially set for Friday night.
Alexander Shlemenko and Gegard Mousasi both passed out-of-competition drug tests ahead of their headliner at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., per Mike Mazzulli, the director of the Mohegan Tribe’s Department of Athletic Regulation.
Shlemenko, the former Bellator middleweight champion, was tested once in late June and then again last week, Mazzulli said. The latter results came back Friday morning. Mousasi’s test was two weeks ago. Mazzulli said the full World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) panel was run for both.
Shlemenko, 33, tested positive for the steroid oxandrolone in a fight-night test in relation to a February 2015 fight with Melvin Manhoef in Fresno, Calif. His testosterone-to-epitestosterone ratio was a sky-high 50-to-1. In California, anything above 4-to-1 is flagged as irregular.
For that drug-test failure, Shlemenko was initially suspended three years, but a California court ruled that, due to procedural miscues by the commission, he could only be banned until the expiration of his license, which was in early 2016. Shlemenko (56-9, 1 NC) fought in his native Russia during the suspension and has won five straight, including in his return to Bellator last year against Kendall Grove, since the bout against Manhoef.
Mousasi, 32, stated publicly earlier this year that he wanted Shlemenko drug tested before this event due to his history. Bellator 185 marks Mousasi’s debut with the promotion after leaving the UFC in July. Mousasi (42-6-2) was a top middleweight contender in the UFC and is one of Bellator’s most significant signings to date.
This article first appeared at MMA Fighting – All Posts
