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Boxing superstar Ryan Garcia reportedly tested positive for the banned steroid/PED (Performance Enhancing Drug) ostarine in his most recent fight. Several combat sportspersons have allegedly tested positive for such PEDs over the years.
Ostarine is considered to be a banned PED, as suggested by WADA's (World Anti Doping Agency) 2024 'Prohibited List.' The usage of osatrine is outlawed, per the WADA 'Prohibited List's' S1 anabolic agent category.
According to USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency), there's been a steady rise in the number of athletes testing positive for the drug. The ostarine name implies a SARM (Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator) that is banned from human utilization/consumption in the US and most of the world.
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Certain sections of the medical community seemingly believe that ostarine could potentially be incredibly useful in treating diseases that afflict muscles -- including cancer, hypogonadism, osteoporosis, etc. In fact, the belief is that ostarine and other SARMs could help humans accrue the benefits of steroids without the usual steroidal side effects. Conclusive research on it is currently underway.
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It's been widely discussed in recent years, especially in sports circles, as the drug is found in a number of dietary supplements, which could be a major factor in athletes testing positive for it. Today, we take a brief look at the instances of athletes who were accused of using ostarine.
#5. 'Sugar' Sean O'Malley - UFC bantamweight champion
Ostarine, which was developed by the US-based GTx organization, is known to have lesser androgenic properties. It's to be used only in certain medical conditions, wherein it targets specific tissues, generally to fight muscle-wasting diseases. That said, combat sports competitors, as well as athletes from the non-combat sphere, have been accused of using it to gain an unfair advantage.
UFC fighters Kyler Phillips and Darrius Flowers tested positive for the drug in 2023. They were handed six-month suspensions each, besides also being fined. Phillips' teammate, reigning UFC bantamweight champion 'Sugar' Sean O'Malley, also failed a drug test owing to ostarine a few years ago.
'Sugar' tested positive for ostarine twice. His first ostarine-related drug test failure came before UFC 229 (Oct. 2018). He was booked to fight Jose Alberto Quinonez at the event but couldn't due to a failed drug test. O'Malley was hit with a six-month suspension.
Following that, O'Malley was roped in to fight Marlon 'Chito' Vera at UFC 239 (July 2019), but he tested positive for ostarine again. It's believed that this failure might have been a result of the residual ostarine in his system from the previous year.
'Sugar' was given another six-month suspension from MMA competition. Regardless, in the ensuing years, O'Malley won the UFC bantamweight title and is the division's reigning champion.
#4. Rachael Ostovich - UFC and BKFC fighter
Former UFC women's flyweight Rachael Ostovich tested positive for ostarine and GW1516 in an out-of-competition test in Jan. 2020. She was initially handed a one-year MMA suspension. However, USADA, which was the UFC's official anti-doping partner at the time, subsequently discovered that Ostovich tested positive for the drugs due to a tainted supplement.
Apparently, the supplement didn't list the aforesaid drugs but still contained traces of them, which is what's believed to have caused the failed tests. Furthermore, Ostovich cooperated with USADA on this case. All things considered, the Hawaiian fighter was ultimately given an eight-month suspension.
Ostovich's cooperation and full disclosure are said to have helped avoid a two-year suspension. Additionally, she also circumvented the expected one-year suspension and served just eight months because she'd previously cooperated with USADA in regard to an atypical finding in 2019.
Ostovich parted ways with the UFC in Dec. 2020 and transitioned to the sport of bare-knuckle boxing, defeating Paige VanZant via unanimous decision at BKFC 19 in July 2021.
#3. Marvin Vettori - UFC middleweight
UFC middleweight contender Marvin Vettori reportedly tested positive for ostarine in April 2018. Vettori took to Instagram later that year and indicated that he'd been dealing with its legal fallout. It was soon clarified that 'The Italian Dream' tested positive for the PED owing to tainted dietary supplements and that he didn't intentionally use it.
All in all, Vettori ended up with a six-month suspension due to the traces of the drug found in his system. It was deemed that he'd be able to return to professional MMA competition in Feb. 2019. The grappling savant, who's known for his resilience and tenaciousness, returned to the octagon in July 2019 and eventually challenged for the UFC middleweight title as well.
Presently, Vettori holds the No. 5 position in the official UFC middleweight rankings. For his part, the 30-year-old has vehemently refuted the PED use allegations and reiterated that any traces of the same were likely due to the tainted dietary supplement.
#2. Amir Khan - UK boxing star
Amir Khan, a British pugilist of Pakistani descent, has long been beheld as one of the most popular combat sports figures to represent the Indian subcontinent. One of his biggest rivals in the boxing realm happened to be fellow UK fighter Kell Brook. They finally clashed inside the squared circle in Feb. 2022, with Brook emerging victorious via sixth-round TKO.
Khan hasn't fought since, but the stoppage wasn't the only setback he faced in that matchup. In its aftermath, it was revealed that he'd tested positive for ostarine. Based on findings by the UKAD (United Kingdom Anti-Doping), the BBBofC (British Boxing Board of Control) placed a two-year suspension on Khan, owing to the failed tests.
While an independent tribunal accepted the argument that the boxer didn't intentionally ingest the drug, the ban was upheld. Accordingly, it was declared that Khan would be ineligible to compete from April 6, 2022, to April 5, 2024.
For his part, the former professional boxer maintained his innocence, expressed his disapproval of the two-year provisional suspension, and emphasized that he has no plans to return to boxing.
#1. Ryan Garcia - Former WBC interim lightweight champion reportedly tests positive for ostarine
The Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia boxing match was viewed as one of the biggest fights of the 2024 calendar year. Garcia won their grudge match, which transpired on April 20, 2024, via majority decision. However, Haney retained the WBC super lightweight title because 'KingRy' had missed weight.
Moreover, as suggested in an ESPN report, VADA (Voluntary Anti-Doping Association) revealed to multiple outlets that Garcia has tested positive for ostarine. The drug test samples from the day before and the day of his fights both came back positive.
Garcia's A-sample has also screened positive for 19-norandrosterone, but the latter's presence will be officially confirmed/denied only after additional tests. The 25-year-old has a 10-day period to request his B-sample testing.
While Haney has derided his archrival over the alleged failed drug tests, Garcia has emphasized that people ought to let the truth emerge and refrain from providing hasty judgments. 'KingRy,' who's time and again been accused of abusing recreational drugs, has denied using any steroids.
Furthermore, the boxing superstar appeared to suggest that an Ashwagandha supplement he used may have resulted in his failing the drug tests. The case is under investigation, and fans can expect more details to unravel soon.
