Hallmann (photo) was defeated by Tibau in Brasília. Photo: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC
The results of fighter Piotr Halmann's anti-doping test in UFC Brasilia, held last month, is giving people something to talk about. The Pole, defeated in the event by Gleison Tibau, accused the Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission (CABMMA) of collecting the samples in an unprofessional manner, and stated that he will try in every possible way to reverse the result and the nine-month suspension he received after testing positive for dostranolone, an anabolic substance.
Hallmann said he was surprised by the result and maintained that he is innocent. “First of all, I want to say that I was very surprised to hear that I was caught in the drug test. I'm very careful about what I put in my body and that doesn't mean I've used a banned substance. I'm very angry that this happened especially with the way they handled this test in Brazil, which was far from professional. It was clear that the procedure was unreliable and strange, to say the least. This should be a big concern for the fighters and the UFC”, said the fighter to the “Bloody Elbow” website.
“Right after my fight, I went to the locker room and a person who didn't identify himself started shouting: 'Doping, doping!', speaking in broken English. My trainers were able to understand that I should go to a room where I would be tested, giving a sample of my blood as usual. At that moment, I had an injury and was waiting for transport to go to the hospital. Suddenly, one of the people testing me came to the hospital, telling us that something had gone wrong with my test. But at that time, I was in a lot of pain as the doctors were taking care of my fractured jaw. The man understood that it was not the best time to do a second test, as I was taking painkillers”, continued the Polish athlete.
“Then the man apologized for the mistake and left. I wonder what kind of mistake you can make if you already have my blood after the fight. The first thing that comes to mind is that they collected the sample wrong. It's also strange that they left the hospital without doing a second test. They just had to give me time to recover and I would give a second sample, no problem. But they apologized and left. I hope there is a way to appeal this, because my career is in serious danger and my name is being tarnished. I reiterate my innocence and I will fight for what is right”, concluded the fighter.
CABMMA defends itself and says the procedure used was correct
CABMMA's operations director, Cristiano Sampaio, refuted Hallmann's accusations and guaranteed that all procedures adopted in sample collection were correct.
Sampaio stated that the test met all requirements and clarified that the positive test did not come from post-fight blood samples, but rather from urine collected before the fight. “The entire process was observed by a representative of the Brazilian Doping Control Authority and CABMMA was in accordance with its protocols. The anabolic agent dostranolone was found in Mr. Piotr Hallmann, not in his blood, and it was in the pre-fight exam. The blood test came back negative. For each positive test, the laboratory needs to redo the test to be sure of the result. The athlete has the right to appeal the result. He needs to send a formal notification. The commission will send it to the laboratory and all costs related to documentation and a new exam will be the sole responsibility of the athlete”, he explained to the “MMA Junkie” website.
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