The California State Athletic Commission has finalized Alexander Shlemenko’s suspension for failing a post-fight drug examination taken after he won over Melvin Manhoef during the Bellator 133 event. Shlemenko is now facing a suspension for three years and a fine of $10,000.
However, Shlemenko isn’t going to just accept this verdict.
Shlemenko filed a lawsuit regarding the harsh verdict that the CSAC has decided for his case. For him, this punishment is not fit for the violation that he made. In fact, this verdict has been the harshet penalty done by the commission since 2006.
Shlemenko, who has a record of 51-9 in MMA and 11-3 in BMMA, has failed the drug test which screened for steroid oxandrolone and metabolites for the same substance. This drug test also checked for T/E ratio (testosterone-to-epitestosterone) of 4-1; Shlemenko got a total of 50-1 ratio.
MMAjunkie got in touch with Andy Foster, the Executive Director of CSAC, and admitted that he just found out about the lawsuit and it’s still in the process of validation.
Shlemenko’s team presented a couple of facts which they used as basis for the lawsuit. It says that the officials of the CSAC has not given any proper notice to Shlemenko’s team about what type hearing and sanctions they were looking for. His team also claimed that the CSAC is not consistent with the sanctions they are giving to previous situations that also involved failed drug tests and chose to implement sanctions that the commission isn’t formally implementing as rules.
The lawsuit also states that the CSAC was incorrect in saying that it was not mandatory for Shlemenko to divide his urine sample into two samples. Aside from this, CSAC’s statements regarding the non-disclosure of using steroids on the questionnaire given before the fight resulted to a falsification of Shlemenko’s application.
One of the main points that the CSAC pointed out during the hearing last June 23rd was the safety of Manhoef during his fight with Shlemenko. Manhoef, who has a record of 29-12-1 MMA and 1-1 BMMA, went up against Shlemenko last February 13th in Fresno. Little did he know, Shlemenko used steroids before the fight. This issue should not be taken lightly according to the CSAC because Manhoef could’ve been in serious danger because of Shlemenko’s steroid use.
“Our job here is to protect the fighters, period. The guy that he knocked out, he could have killed him,” CSAC commissioner John Frierson said during the hearing.
Shlemenko’s team also emphasizes that a suspension of three years because of causing injury to his contender is just “legally and factually inaccurate.”