Retired “Cro Cop”, caught by USADA[Photo by Yoo Dae-gil = dbeorlf123@ajunews.com]
“Cro Cop” Mirko Filipović, 41-year-old former Croatian police officer and a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Fighter [31-11-2 MMA, 5-6 UFC] who is thought to be the legend among MMA fans, is accused of using growth hormones just before his honored retirement.
It is likely for the veteran, who had a decorated run in MMA, he is likely to leave an unfortunate footnote in his career.
He was scheduled for co-main event bout against Anthony Hamilton at UFC Fight Night 79 in Seoul, late November, but the repeated injuries on his shoulder pulled him out of the game. Fans worldwide had shown their disappointment, not because they can’t see him in the event but never see him on the ring, ever.
It seemed as Filipović will stay as one of the legends in MMA, but his fame may fade due to a violation of doping.
UFC officials announced Thursday, that Cro Cop is the first athlete to be flagged for a potential violation of the company’s new anti-doping policy. United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) administered the doping test. UFC had provisionally suspended Filipović.
Soon after the announcement, Filipović admitted to using growth hormone. He wrote in a post on his official website, “When my shoulder problems started, basic methods like massages and icing the shoulder did not help. Then I went to blood plasma which went straight into my shoulder. With each blood plasma, I had a little mix of growth hormone to make my shoulder heal faster,”
He knew growth hormones are in the list of banned substances, but he said he had no choice. “But there was no other way to save my shoulder,” he explained. “At least in my mind,” Cro Cop protested that he left the ring because of his injuries not of his suspension.
According to Filipović, there is a little chance that the decision by UFC and USADA will change. “The test results are not finished,” he said. He pointed out that UFC and USADA may not find anything in his urine and blood samples because he only took the treatment for a few days to recover his shoulder for the bout in Seoul.
He claims UFC accused Filipović of illegal use of the substance by him notifying the company about the treatment straight after the doping test.
아주경제 박세진 기자 = swatchsjp@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
