Josh Barnett Notified of Potential Anti-Doping Violation

Josh Barnett has been notified by USADA of a potential anti-doping violation. The UFC announced on Tuesday that Barnett was notified and that the violation is from an out-of-competition test administered on December 9th. Barnett’s team has not yet responded to requests for comment.

This is the third time Barnett has potentially tested positive for a banned substance while fighting for the UFC, and the fourth in his career. He tested positive before beating Bobby Hoffman at UFC 34 but no anti-doping rules were in effect at that time and he wasn’t punished. He was stripped of the UFC heavyweight title after failing a post-fight test following his title win over Randy Couture at UFC 36 for the presence of three steroids. He then failed a pre-fight drug test from the CSAC when he was fighting for Affliction before his scuttled fight with Fedor Emelianenko as well.

The UFC’s full statement on the issue is below:

“The UFC organization was formally notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Josh Barnett of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collection on December 9, 2016.

“USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case. It is important to note that, under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, there is a full fair legal review process that is afforded to all athletes before any sanctions are imposed.

“Consistent with all previous potential anti-doping violations, additional information or UFC statements will be provided at the appropriate time as the process moves forward.”