Cung Le was recently sanctioned by the UFC after he tested positive with elevated levels of human growth hormone (HGH) following his Aug. 23 bout with Michael Bisping in Macao. But that's not the last you would hear of Le.
This is a first for the UFC after Le requested to appeal the results.
For international events when there is no local governing body, the UFC self-regulates. This includes ordering drug testing from a third party facility. That is why UFC self-regulated the event in Macao and ordered drug testing performed by the Hong Kong Functional Medical Testing Center.
According to an ESPN Report "A post-fight blood test on Aug. 23, performed by the Hong Kong Functional Medical Testing Center and ordered by the UFC, revealed Le, 42, had an hGH level of 18.162 mIU/mL, which is above normal ranges."
Based on Le statement, even if the test resulted in an above normal, it does not show the whole story. For their end, the lab the UFC used is not a World Anti-Doping Agency accredited facility, and did not follow the WADA standards for HGH testing. WADA is considered the authority on drug testing for sports across the globe.
Le said "I tested negative for Anabolics, Stimulants, Diuretics, Masking Agents and my Testosterone levels were within World Anti- Doping Agency and Nevada State Athletic Commission Approved limits a total of three times over two urine tests and a blood test collected both before and after my fight, which is what makes these hGH result so difficult for me to accept as correct."
He continued "This has also caused me to call the testing procedures into question. I have been informed that there are many possible reasons for a level of hGH to exceed what is allowed unknowingly and my doctors are researching those possibilities, which may include a much more serious health concern. I have also been informed about the unreliability of the current hGH testing that exists and it's high rate of inaccuracy. I want to reiterate to my fans and the fans of mixed martial arts everywhere that I did not take any performance enhancing drugs or anything that would cause my natural level of hGH to exceed normal levels."
