Jennifer Maia gets 6-month suspension for tainted supplements
The Brazilian flyweight became the latest fighter to fall victim to tainted supplements, and has been suspended for six months stretching back to August 31st, 2018.
Jennifer Maia’s chance to make an impact on the UFC flyweight division is going to take a little longer than she likely anticipated. The former Invicta champion debuted in the Octagon with some significant expectations. Namely, that she could be a fast rising contender in a talent pool yet to define its elite fighters.
Unfortunately, that plan hit an immediate snag, in the form of former bantamweight contender Liz Carmouche. Carmouche took a reasonably comfortable decision over Maia, behind a accurate striking game, and a series of rhythm-disrupting takedowns. Now it appears the 30-year-old Brazilian has hit another roadblock. This time in the form of USADA and a batch of tainted supplements.
In a January 15th press release, the UFC-contracted drug testing organization announced that Maia has been suspended for six months - stretching back to August 30th - in relation to a failed drug test carried out on August 16th.
Maia, 30, tested positive for furosemide, hydrochlorothiazide, chlorothiazide, and the thiazide metabolite 4-amino-6-chloro-1,3-benzenedisulfonamide (ACB), following an out-of-competition test conducted on August 16, 2018. These substances are Specified Substances in the class of Diuretics and Masking Agents and are prohibited at all times under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, which has adopted the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List.
During an investigation into the circumstances of her case, opened and sealed containers of a dietary supplement she was using at the time of the August 16, 2018 sample collection, and that she declared on her doping control form, were sent to the WADA-accredited laboratory in Brazil for analysis. Although no prohibited substances were listed on the supplement label, the analysis revealed that both contained the prohibited substances for which Maia tested positive. Accordingly, this product has been added to the High Risk List of supplements maintained on USADA’s online dietary supplement safety education and awareness resource – Supplement 411 (www.Supplement411.org). Further, USADA reminds athletes that dietary supplement products marketed for weight loss carry significant risk to contain prohibited prescription medications, such as diuretics.
Under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, as well as the World Anti-Doping Code, the determination that an athlete’s positive test was caused by a contaminated product may result in a reduced sanction. The sanction for a doping offense resulting from the use of a contaminated product ranges from a reprimand and no period of ineligibility to a two-year period of ineligibility.
In a statement to MMA Fighting, Maia explained that the supplements in question were “capsules of natural tea” intended to help relieve fluid retention. Unbeknownst to her, the pills in fact contained diuretics. Maia added that she has been tested regularly since joining Invicta back in 2013, and had she not been able to prove that the tea was contaminated she would have received a year’s suspension.
“They did this test a month after the fight and I was cool because I know I would never use anything illegal,” Maia said. “I was too swollen after the fight because I retain fluid, so I took capsules of natural tea. However, 20 days after the antidoping exam I received a letter informing me that I had used diuretics. I knew I never used anything, so I imagined it had to be the tea since the other supplements I used before the fight, the post-fight antidoping test came back clean.”
That should mean that the Chute Boxe talent will be eligible to return to competition sometime in early March. With the UFC preparing for an incredibly busy first half of the year, it seems likely that the promotion will look to book her again fairly quickly after her suspension. Then, perhaps, she’ll have another chance to make an impact inside the Octagon.