Hector Lombard suspended one year; Win overturned
Hector Lombard suspended one year; Win overturned
The Nevada State Athletic Commission takes performance enhancing drug use serious, and number seven-ranked UFC welterweight Hector Lombard was the most recent to face their stiff punishments following his post fight drug test failure from UFC 182.
Lombard (34-4, 2 NC) has been suspended for one year from competition, fined $69,000, and had his win against Josh Burkman overturned to a “no contest”. A one year suspension is long enough for any fighter, and with Lombard already 37 years of age, time is running out on the Olympic Judoka’s career.
Lombard tested positive for Desoxymethyltestosterone, an anabolic steroid which was one of the first “designer steroids” to be marketed as a performance enhancing drug to athletes and bodybuilders. Lombard denied knowledge of the pills he took when he spoke to the athletic commission, saying, “I have never knowingly put a prohibited substance into my body”, not an acceptable excuse for the NSAC.
The suspension will be retroactive from the date of the fight, January 3. The $69,000 fine is broken down between one-third of Lombard’s fight purse, and his entire win bonus. During the hearing, Lombard plead for a “second chance” on behalf of the NSAC, that was denied. Lombard will have to provide a clean test sample before his next bout in order to receive a new license.
