Dana White shares UFC anti-doping team's surprising assessment of Ryan Garcia's drug fail: "He did not cheat"
UFC president Dana White has offered public support to boxer Ryan Garcia following his positive drug test. Garcia received a one-year suspension from the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) after his victory over Devin Haney was overturned due to a failed B-sample test for Ostarine, a banned performance-enhancing drug (PED).
Garcia has consistently maintained his innocence, claiming he was unaware of ingesting Ostarine and only used natural supplements.
During the UFC 303 post-fight press conference, White offered his perspective:
“With all our knowledge that we have and the years that we’ve been drug-testing, we believe the people who had handled the drug-testing [knew] that he took a tainted supplement and that he did not cheat... If he had the right people around him that wouldn’t have happened. We were pretty confident it was a tainted supplement”
He further added:
"It’s not my fight, it’s none of my business, not my place to even talk about it. But, from what my team tells me, and these guys are the best, it was a tainted supplement."
Check out Dana White's comments below:
UFC light-heavyweight sees potential in Ryan Garcia's MMA dreams
Amidst controversy surrounding his positive drug test and legal troubles, boxer Ryan Garcia has expressed interest in transitioning to MMA. Light-heavyweight contender Khalil Rountree weighed in on Garcia's potential MMA career, offering a cautiously optimistic outlook.
Speaking to GiveMeSport, Rountree acknowledged Garcia's boxing skills and work ethic. He believes these attributes, combined with the addition of wrestling and kicks, could translate well to MMA.
"I think adding kicks and takedowns … it's another element when you have a high-level boxer, and they've been doing this and they know how to fight, their instincts are reactive to boxing. I think anybody who's a high-level boxer has a fair chance in the UFC. ... No takedowns, he goes all five. Takedowns included, he [Ryan Garcia] could get through the first [round].. It will be a rough second, but he could get through the first."