Light heavyweight John Allan Arte is the latest UFC fighter slapped with a lengthy suspension by USADA, and he’s also losing his win from back at UFC Sacramento.
Yesterday it was Melissa Gatto, today it’s John Allen Arte. Arte (14-5), a 26-year old from Curitiba, Brazil training with Chute Box, has accepted a one year suspension from USADA (U.S. Anti-Doping Agency). That follows a positive drug test 3-hydroxy-4-methoxytamoxifen, a metabolite of tamoxifen, at UFC Sacramento on July 13, 2019. USADA officials announced the news in a press release Friday. The agency oversees the UFC’s year-round Anti-Doping Policy.
Tamoxifen falls under the category of hormone and metabolic modulators and is banned at all times for athletes in the UFC.
Per Friday’s release,
“After being notified of his positive test, Arte came forward with evidence of his use of this prohibited substance before entering the UFC Anti-Doping Program. Upon being added to the UFC Anti-Doping Program, athletes are required to declare all medications and supplements they have used in the previous 12 months. An athlete who declares the prior use of a prohibited substance will not be deemed to have committed a violation but, depending on the substance, may be required to refrain from competition for a period of at least six months and provide at least two negative samples. Arte did not declare the use of tamoxifen on his onboarding declaration form.”
As a result, Arte has been hit with a one year ban. That’s not all. As the drug test failure in question came in-competition, he’s also been sanctioned by the California State Athletic Commission, who have overturned his win against Mike Rodriguez to a No Contest. The fight was Arte’s first in the UFC. He’s also been fined $4,800 by the CSAC, and suspended one year by the commission as well.
Arte’s suspension is backdated to the night of the fight (July 13), when the positive sample was collected.
