UFC News 2015: Gleison Tibau Suspended by USADA for Reported Anti-Doping Dolicy Violation
Resilience and durability — these two attributes are what every mixed martial arts fighter should have to gain respect and achieve longevity in the sport. Now one of the few names that pops up when it comes to resiliency is Gleison Tibau, a fighter who's known to have the second most number of fights in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). That's impressive, right?
The Brazilian lightweight campaigner's legacy, though, is put to question when USADA recently announced that he has been provisionally suspended for violating the anti-doping policy. The UFC handed out a statement to the media:
"The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has notified both Gleison Tibau and UFC that he has been provisionally suspended due to a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition test."
USADA is in partnership with the UFC, serving as the promotion's independent administrator of their anti-doping policy. It said that the results, as well as the proper management and adjudication of the case, will be handled by the agency.
Tibau hasn't provided any response or statement as of this writing.
The 32-year-old veteran fighter has been campaigning in mixed martial arts since 1999. Currently training under the American Top Team, he started engaging in mixed martial arts at a young age, eventually competing in his first-ever fight at the age of 15. He became a state champion in jiu-jitsu and wrestling in his native Brazil.
He currently is ranked second for the most number of UFC appearances in history, together with another legend, Frank Mir. Both fighters have seen themselves fight in The Octagon 26 times. The only MMA fighter who has more appearances than them is Tito Ortiz.
As a lightweight, he usually dominates opponents, thanks to his large built. He owns a UFC record of 17-9 and recently won a rather controversial fight against Abel Trujillo at home wherein the referee called for a submission win when Trujillo was seen to have been in fine condition and was in fact already in middle of escaping the choke. The win gave Tibau the recognition of tying Michael Bisping for third in most wins in the UFC.
