MMA News: Hermes Franca Tests Positive

Franca tested positive for drostanolone. (MMAweekly.com Photo)

Mixed martial arts fighter Hermes Franca (18-6-0) has tested positive for a banned substance, according to test results released by the California State Athletic Commission.

Following his lightweight championship fight against Sean Sherk (32-2-1) at UFC 73, Franca tested positive for Drostanolone, which is a popular steroid among competitive bodybuilders.

Not only did Franca lose the fight, he has now been fined $2500 and has been suspended from competition until July 5, 2008, which is the end of his licensing year.

In a prepared statement, published on mmaweekly.com, Franca apologizes to his students, family and fans. “I made a decision during a difficult time in my training for the fight that I regret,” it says. “About 8 weeks out from the fight, I badly injured my ankle during a training session. I made the shortsighted choice to hopefully accelerate the healing process and allow me to keep training. I hope my fans, students, the UFC and the public accept my sincere apology.”

The test result comes on on the heels of a series of articles examining steroid abuse in mixed martial arts.

According to The Fight Network website, 20 MMA fighters have violated the state of California's anti-doping policy in the past three months.

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