THE CANADIAN PRESS
Canadian Mixed martial arts fighter Bill Mahood has been suspended one year and fined US$2,500 by the California State Athletic Commission for testing positive for a banned substance.
Mahood, a 40-year-old from Prince George known as The Butcher, does not dispute that he used the steroid drostanolone prior to his Sept. 29 StrikeForce MMA fight at the Playboy Mansion.
Mahood, who has a 16-6-1 record competing in UFC, Bodog, King of the Cage and TKO circuits, said he took the fight on short notice and had been using the steroid, an agent he knew was anabolic in nature, to treat degenerative hip joint inflammation.
"I did in fact start the use of an anabolic agent (in) approximately the third week in August," said Mahood, who said he was first informed of the positive test Monday morning when a reporter from the Fight Network called for comment.
"This was at a time I thought I was done fighting and was suffering from chronic joint inflammation of my hip. I ingested only two doses of the agent prior to being offered the Playboy Mansion fight. I immediately discontinued the use of the agent knowing full well the reputation of the CSAC and not wanting to be another busted athlete.
"I was convinced there would be nothing left in my system long before fight day and that I would not garner any performance-enhancing benefit from only two doses. I did start to use the substance as an anti-inflammatory but at the time had no intentions of competing."
Mahood lost to Bobby Southworth in the fight, submitting because of injury, and earned a purse of US$1,000.
Mahood said he spoke to a member of the California State Athletic Commission on Monday, who he identified as Bill Douglas, and that the test showed a "barely discernible" amount of the steroid. Mahood is looking to the commission’s appeal process.
"I took it for something else (other than performance-enhancing purposes) and if I’d known I had a fight coming up I never would’ve taken the stuff," said Mahood.
"I had no chemical help, and I don’t subscribe to that bodybuilder mentality. It can depend on what you consider performance-enhancing, but I believe in everyone being on a level playing field. This stuff, I didn’t take it long enough to get the inflammation to go away — my hip is gimped."
Mahood released a statement offering an apology to "StrikeForce, Bodog and the sport of MMA in general," saying his competitive days were likely over because of the chronic injury, but he said later he still wants to be in the ring.
"It’s funny — I always say (I’m retiring), but something pops up," said Mahood.
"I am absolutely addicted to fighting. I love everything about it and I’ve worked hard to further the sport at great personal expense."
Drostanolone, sometimes known as dromostanolone propionate or masteron, is considered a popular steroid among bodybuilders. It is an injected steroid that has caused few side effects, though accelerated hair loss and increased aggression have been linked to usage.
Mahood declined to say where he obtained the drostanolone, but did say it was not prescribed by a doctor.
"There was no doctor — let’s not get into that, I have a friend who looks after inflammation," he said. "I went to a doctor (Monday) morning to be re-tested to show there is nothing more in my system than what is in the average guy’s system."
Mahood, who weighed in two pounds under the 205-pound heavyweight limit, said he is not concerned this positive test may tarnish his career.
"The only people I care about, they know me," said Mahood, who was on the UFC 53 card in Atlantic City in 2005, losing his heavyweight fight to Forest Griffin by submission. At the time, he was the 13th Canadian to make it to the highest level in UFC.
"My style of fighting is not to be a big, ripped-up, muscle-bound hulk of a man. It’s obvious I’m not Mr. Bodybuilder Guy ingesting all this stuff. People can make up their own minds."
(Prince George Citizen)
