Modern day testing for athletes has grown stricter and stricter, after many athletes were found using steroids to enhance their performance. As science continues to develop new performance enhancing drugs however, many athletes are turning to other alternatives.

One such alternative, known as selective androgen receptor modulators, or SARMs for short, seems to be more and more popular nowadays. These new research chemicals are being sold as “legal steroids,” to both professional athletes and bodybuilders alike.

News of SARMs usage broke the mainstream recently, when four UFC athletes tested positive for a common SARM known as Ostarine, or MK-2866.

Augusto Mendes, age 36, of Arizona, tested positive for Ostarine on March 7th, 2018. He has since been provisionally suspended from competing in the UFC.

Marvin Vettori, age 25, of Italy, also tested positive for Ostarine, one of the strongest SARMs currently in development, on August 6th, 2018. He was also provisionally suspended from UFC competition, for a period of six months.

Now however, Sean O’Malley and Nicco Montano, two UFC fighters, have also tested positive for Ostarine in late 2018, which is beginning to spark concerns of mass usage in the UFC.

While many athletes may be using SARMs, the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has made their stance clear. SARMs, such as Ostarine, are explicitly prohibited from use in competition:

In fact, selective androgen receptor modulators have been banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) since 2008:

“SARMs have been prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) since 2008. SARMs have the potential to be misused for performance enhancement in sport due to their anabolic properties as well as ability to stimulate androgen receptors in muscle and bone. They are currently prohibited at-all-times in the category of ‘other anabolic agents’ under section S1.2 of the WADA Prohibited List.”

As several other athletes begin to test positive for SARMs such as Ostarine and Cardarine, such as Brazilian tennis player Haddad Maia, many sports fans and testing agencies are growing increasingly concerned about cheating in athletic competitions.

Press Release Distributed by The Express Wire

To view the original version on The Express Wire visit 4 UFC Athletes Busted for Using “SARMs,†New Performance Enhancing Drug