A bantamweight fighter no longer even employed by the UFC has been hit with a two-year suspension by an independent arbitrator, in a doping case involving the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.
On Wednesday, USADA officials announced that Geraldo Augusto de Freitas Junior, commonly Geraldo de Freitas Jr., had been handed a two-year suspension after testing positive for the exogenous administration of testosterone. The result came in an out-of-competition drug test administered on October 14, 2020. The case and its merits were argued before the arbitrator, who ruled that de Freitas Jr. should serve the full length of the applicable suspension.
According to Wednesday’s press release, a urine sample provided by de Freitas Jr. was “analyzed using a specialized test, known as Carbon Isotope Ratio (CIR) testing, that differentiates between anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) naturally produced by the body and prohibited anabolic agents of external origin.”
de Freitas Jr. argued that his positive test was the result of testing errors, and/or his use of a permitted substance prior to testing. The arbitrator concluded that “the athlete’s theories lacked an evidentiary basis.”
While his suspension will be backdated to January 11, 2021, the date his provisional suspension began, Geraldo de Freitas Jr. was released by the UFC this past March. He has since fought outside the promotion, competing at home in a Shooto Brazil event. de Freitas Jr. won that bout, against Marcos Cordeiro, via submission.
