Brock Lesnar banned for a year and fined $250,000 for failed UFC 200 drug tests

IF Brock Lesnar fancies making a return to the Octagon he’ll have to wait until July 2017 before he can do it.

That’s because the hulking WWE superstar finally had his punishment confirmed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after failing two USADA drug tests for his UFC 200 win over Mark Hunt this July.

Lesnar tested positive for hydroxyclomiphene, an estrogen blocker, in both an out-of-competition test on June 28 AND his fight night test on July 9.

As a result, the Nevada Commission have slapped the 39-year-old with a one-year suspension, back-dated to his second failed test, and a fine of $250,000, 10% of his $2.5million fight purse for the event.

Lesnar’s unanimous decision win over Hunt has also been wiped from the record books, with the bout reclassified as a no-contest.

USADA may also impose a separate penalty on Lesnar, though that case remains in the pending tray. Any suspension handed down is likely to run alongside the Nevada ban.

Former UFC heavyweight champ Lesnar had made his eagerly-awaited return to MMA at UFC 200 after five years away from the sport following his battle with diverticulitis.

And the pro-wrestler-turned-prizefighter impressed with a dominant display over MMA veteran Hunt, who has since been extremely vocal in his criticism of Lesnar for taking the banned substances, and also the UFC for failing to compensate him for being the victim of a battering by an athlete who was caught doping.

While Lesnar immediately returned to the WWE, where he went unpunished for his indiscretions, Hunt has remained on the sidelines, turning down a bout with Junior dos Santos after UFC officials refused to include additional clauses into the fighters’ contracts on Hunt’s request.

In the same Nevada State Athletic Commission hearing, the other big-name casualty from the UFC 200 event, former light-heavyweight world champion Jon Jones, also had his anti-doping suspension confirmed.

Jones will also be banned for a year, ending in mid-July, after his failed out-of-competition test in the lead-up to the July supershow saw his main event bout with Daniel Cormier pulled from the card.

And Nate Diaz also received his punishment for his part in the bottle-throwing melee with Conor McGregor at the UFC 202 pre-fight press conference at the MGM Grand in August (warning, video contains strong language.

McGregor was fined $150,000 (equivalent to 5% of his fight purse for the event) by the Nevada Commission, a sum the Irishman is looking to challenge in court.

And now Diaz has agreed a fine of 2% of his fight purse, totalling $50,000, for his part in the incident, which took place at the David Copperfield Theater.