Luis Pena, Marc-Andre Barriault, Tim Elliott and Jamahal Hill will stay out of the Octagon a while longer as the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) extends their temporary suspensions.
The NAC announced the extended suspensions on Wednesday, August 5. There is no time frame for when those temporary suspensions will end, but MMA Junkie reports that the next NAC meeting is scheduled for September.
Hill, Pena and Elliott all allegedly failed drug tests for marijuana; meanwhile, Barriault apparently failed for small traces of ostarine in his drug test. Barriault has issued the following statement to MMA Junkie, proclaiming his innocence:
Following a communication from the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) last week, I wanted to clarify the current situation to all my fans, the medias and everybody involved in the sport of mixed martial arts.
I was notified last week that an in-competition sample that I provided to the NSAC the night of my last fight on June 20, 2020 was positive for an extremely low level (approximately 190 picograms or 190 parts per trillion) of the prohibited substance, Ostarine. First and foremost, I want to make things crystal clear, I did not intentionally use Ostarine, nor have I ever knowingly used any prohibited substance in my career. Since the beginning of my professional career, I have been tested 3 times by the Quebec athletic commission, and a total of 7 times under the UFC/USADA program and have always tested negative.
Since I found out about this last week, I have learned quite a bit about Ostarine, specifically that it is commonly found as a low-level contaminant in certain dietary supplements, often at levels that provide absolutely no performance enhancing benefit. I strongly believe that a supplement contaminant is the reason for my low level positive, and I am actively working with the UFC on reviewing and testing supplements that I have used prior to my June 20th fight, in the hope of identifying the culprit.
While I am extremely disappointed in this development, I am looking forward to finding a definitive explanation for my low-level positive test, to fully cooperating with the NSAC and to getting back to work in the Octagon soon.
Elliott has already commented on the matter through social media. Hill and Pena have remained silent since the news came out.
