Lyoto (photo) presented his explanation about the controversial episode. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
The MMA world was taken by surprise late this Wednesday afternoon (13) with the announcement that Lyoto Machida was out of UFC Fight Night Tampa less than three days before the event, but mainly because the reason for the cut was a confession of doping by the Brazilian. Soon after the episode, Lyoto went public and, in an emotional video on social media, presented his explanation for what happened.
See too
“Well guys, I'm here to tell you that I was caught off guard by this news, too. It's been very difficult for me, I trained a lot for this fight, I dedicated myself a lot, with my entire team. I want to say that I didn't really know that this substance... so much so that it was something that I declared in my test. I said: “I’m taking all of this”. And this substance was banned now, in 2016. It was my mistake, I admit, because I wasn't aware of it and here we go. I want to apologize to all of you, to apologize to all my fans, from my heart, to my entire team, to my entire family. I always try to play fair, but this time it happened”, said the “Dragon”, who even cried during the statement.
At 37, Lyoto Machida has a professional record of 22 wins and seven losses. The Brazilian would be in the co-main fight of the UFC Tampa against Dan Henderson, but the duel was suspended by the Ultimate organization. The event said the plan is to reschedule the fight for the future, but Lyoto could still face sanctions from USADA (North American Anti-Doping Agency, which administers the UFC's new anti-doping policy) and be suspended.
Comments