Tom Lawlor Suspended For Two Years; Gian Villante Gets TUE Exemption

Veteran UFC fighter Tom Lawlor has accepted a two year suspension from the sport after testing positive for the banned substane Ostarine during a USADA random drug test back in October.

“Ostarine, also known as MK-2866 and Enobosarm, is a non-FDA approved selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) which is illegally sold in the United States and globally as a performance-enhancing substance,” USADA stated in a press release to confirm Lawlor’s suspension. “Ostarine is not currently available as a prescription medication in any country, and its unauthorized use may carry serious side effects. Nonetheless, ostarine has been found as a declared and undeclared ingredient in many dietary supplements sold in the United States, which has prompted the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue warning letters to specific dietary supplement manufacturers stating that ostarine is an unapproved new drug and that selling the drug is in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA).”

Lawlor, who has a 6-5 record in the UFC, won’t be eligible to compete again until October of 2018, by which point he will be 35.

Meanwhile, Gian Villante has escaped punishment from USADA after testing positive for the banned substance Vilanterol during a random drug test in January.

Villante had disclosed to USADA prior to the test that he was taking an inhaler and has now been able to apply for a retroactive therapeutic use exemption.

“Upon a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding Villante’s use of vilanterol, which included the retroactive TUE application process, USADA determined that the athlete had an unequivocally diagnosed acute medical condition for which the use of vilanterol is consistent with the standard of care,” USADA stated in a press release. “Further, it was determined that the short-term use of the Breo Ellipta inhaler was within the manufacturer’s therapeutic recommendation and was intended to return the athlete to a normal state of health without providing a performance-enhancing benefit. Finally, other permitted therapeutic alternatives were not successful at controlling the athlete’s condition.”

A such Villante has now been given the green light to go ahead as planned with a major upcoming fight with Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua at UFC Fight Night 106 on March 11th.

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