The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced today that an athlete in the UFC® Anti-Doping Program, Amanda Ribas, of Minas Gerais, Brazil, is entitled to a reduction in her original two-year suspension. Ribas’ period of ineligibility has been terminated, effective immediately.
Ribas, 24, tested positive for ostarine following an out-of-competition urine test conducted on June 7, 2017. Ostarine is a non-Specified Substance in the class of Anabolic Agents and prohibited at all times under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, which has adopted the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List.
Ostarine, also known as MK-2866 and Enobosarm, is a non-FDA approved selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) that is illegally sold in supplements in the United States and worldwide as a performance-enhancing substance. SARMs are synthetic drugs that replicate the effects of testosterone and they have been linked to serious health risks, including liver damage and increased risk of heart attack or stroke. It is illegal to include SARMs in dietary supplements, but the ingredients are sometimes found in contaminated products, particularly bodybuilding products, that are falsely labeled as dietary supplements. In recent years, the World Anti-Doping Agency has reported an increasing number of positive tests involving SARMs.
The FDA has also increased its efforts to prevent the spread of SARMs in supplements and USADA has supported legislative efforts, including the SARMs Control Act, to improve the Drug Enforcement Agency’s ability to act against SARMs. USADA has provided more information about the risks of ostarine in an athlete advisory.
The termination of Ribas’ sanction reflects USADA’s recognition of the demonstrated prevalence of ostarine in a wide range of supplement products used by athletes (see USADA High Risk List for more than 70 products) and that ostarine has frequently been found as a product contaminant. The trace amounts of ostarine found in Ribas’ sample was made possible by sensitive laboratory detection capabilities and has been followed by four negative tests. As Ribas was unable to identify the source of her positive test, and taking into consideration the likelihood that her positive test was the result of an ostarine contaminated dietary supplement product, USADA believes it is fair to allow Ribas to return to competition after serving the majority of her two-year sanction.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission also sanctioned Ribas for two years, and USADA has informed the Commission of its decision to reduce Ribas’ sanction under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy.
