Las Vegan Frank Mir expresses frustration with USADA process

Even though former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir is banned from stepping into the octagon for two years, there is nothing stopping him from fighting for his reputation.

The Las Vegan is not happy with how the United States Anti-Doping Agency handled the adjudication process that followed a positive test following Mir’s fight more than a year ago in Brisbane, Australia.

He was finally issued the two-year suspension Friday and posted a lengthy statement on Facebook a short time later.

“I have consistently denied knowingly taking anything that would violate USADA’s guidelines,” the Bonanza High School alum said. “I was originally told that my post-fight sample from March 20, 2016, had been flagged for a trace metabolite, following my clean test the previous month on Feb. 5.”

Mir’s post-fight test revealed the presence of metabolites for the anabolic agent DHCMT. After he was informed of the positive test, Mir says he combed over everything he had consumed leading up to the fight in an effort to discover the source of the banned supplement.

He was operating on the assumption that it had to have happened in a six-week period before the fight because an out-of-competition sample from Feb. 5 had come back clean.

Mir even floated the possibility tainted kangaroo meat could have been the culprit.

During the appeals process, the scenario changed. USADA re-tested the Feb. 5 sample using a new enhanced testing procedure and discovered the same metabolite in that sample that had been found in the March 20 sample.

“It is frustrating to now be told that USADA has changed their mind about the February 5 test, claiming that the sample they once cleared is now clouded with the same trace metabolite,” Mir wrote. “Even more frustrating is that I’ve been told that the long-term metabolite could date back two years, prior to the implementation of USADA standards and possibly to a time when I had a legal exemption for testosterone-replacement therapy. As hard as it was to try to retrospectively analyze everything I had consumed within a fairly recent six week period of my life, I would have no idea where to start going back years into my past.”

Mir reiterated his insistence that he has never knowingly ingested a banned substance. The 37-year-old will be eligible to return to competition in April 2018, though his future fighting plans are unclear.

Mir was knocked out by Mark Hunt in the first round of the March 20 bout where the positive test occurred. It was his second consecutive loss and sixth in his last eight fights.

McGregor makes TIME list

UFC star Conor McGregor has been named to TIME Magazines “100 Most Influential People of 2017.”

McGregor’s entry was penned by actor-turned-politician Arnold Schwarzenegger, a longtime fan of the Irish fighter.

“From the first time I met Conor, I knew he wasn’t the type of star you could box into one category,” Schwarzenegger wrote. “Since I’ve gotten to know him, I can tell you that what you see on the screen—the now familiar face of mixed martial arts—just scratches the surface. The Dublin native is razor-sharp, disciplined and charismatic. His energy is absolutely contagious, to the point where you almost start shouting in an Irish accent after 30 seconds of hearing that world-famous mouth.”

Former champion Ronda Rousey made the list in 2016.

Smith named to HOF

Former heavyweight champion Maurice Smith has been named as the second member of the UFC’s 2017 Hall of Fame class.

Smith upset Hall of Famer Mark Coleman in his UFC debut to become the heavyweight champion at UFC 14 in a bout that pitted the UFC champion against the Extreme Fighting Championships champ.

He defended the belt at UFC 15 with a win over Tank Abbott. Smith would then lose the belt to Randy Couture and eventually finished his UFC career with a 4-3 mark in seven fights.

“It will be an honor to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame and be forever connected to this sport,” Smith said in a statement. “I was the first world-class striker to win a UFC title because I worked with great training partners to evolve into a well-rounded fighter. I’m proud of the titles I won in MMA, but helping advance the game towards the mixed martial arts of today is my greatest accomplishment in the sport.”

Smith will be inducted as a Pioneer, a category that includes fighters who turned pro before the adoption of the unified rules of mixed martial arts in November 2000.

Urijah Faber was previously announced as part of the class, which will be inducted on July 6 in Las Vegas.

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Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-277-8028. Follow @adamhilllvrj on Twitter.