UFC fighter Rob Font was cleared by the United States Anti-Doping Agency in an unusual doping case.Font, a top bantamweight had an adverse result in a drug screening related to his win against Cody Garbrandt on UFC Fight Night May 22 in Las Vegas. His team posted Friday in a social-media statement. USADA, UFC's antidoping partner found that Font used a substance that was not prohibited. It determined that Font did not violate any laws. Font received a USADA letter attached to this statement.Team Font stated that Rob has never taken prohibited substances, and USADA has already cleared him from any wrongdoing.According to the statement Font was tested positive for 4-chlorophenoxyacetic (or 4-CPA) metabolite, which is itself not prohibited. But, meclofenoxate is a World Anti-Doping Agency prohibited stimulant. WADA sent a memo to laboratories in January stating that any 4-CPA above 1,000 ng/ml must have come from the banned meclofenoxate.USADA found that the memo was incorrect. The 4-CPA above the threshold could be due to ingredients in products such as suntan lotion. Font's team provided USADA 35 pages detailing what Font ingested during the bout. According to USADA's statement, Font's hair and skin products contained chlorphenesin. This is what USADA believed caused his 4-CPA metabolite to appear in his system. Chlorphenesin does not count as a banned substance. According to Team Font, the UFC stated that all fighters on the May 22 UFC card were tested positive for 4-CPA.Font was informed by USADA that "based on the foregoing", USADA concluded that the positive test was caused by a product (or products) you used prior to your sample collection. USADA concluded that the cause of your positive test result was a non-prohibited substance. The matter will therefore be closed as no violation.Font still faces a doping case against the Nevada State Athletic Commission. This is on Wednesday's agenda for the commission. Bob Bennett, the executive director of the NSAC, declined to comment on Friday.Font's team stated that the NSC has all the facts in the case but had not closed it out. Rob will be suspended for a short time until the case is closed, as with all athletes involved in open cases. We will cooperate with them in all aspects, as we have done throughout this process."In a statement to ESPN, Jeff Novitzky, senior vice president of UFC athlete health and performance, blasted WADA's recent memo on 4-CPA. This has not been rescinded yet.Novitzky stated in a statement that "this is a true false positive case." The World Anti-Doping Agency is to blame. Their scientists presented guidelines to accredited laboratories that were completely wrong. We know that the 4-CPA level for a permitted substance, chlorphenesin (commonly found in cosmetics), can be well over 1000ng/ml. While I am pleased that USADA was able quickly to resolve Rob's matter, I am disappointed that WADA failed clean athletes by failing to take care of flawed scientific guidelines that, as of today, have not been repealed. WADA must act immediately.Font (19-4) won four consecutive victories and his win over Garbrandt (the former UFC bantamweight champion) was his biggest victory. Font is ranked No. Font is ranked No. 4 at 135 pounds. Font, 34, has been in the UFC 9 times since his debut in 2014.Team Font stated that they are a huge supporter of antidoping and clean UFC. However, the guidance provided by WADA let them down in this instance. We hope that this incident will bring some light to their shortcomings and inspire them to make some changes. We made a mistake, but we followed the rules. Unfortunately, not everyone will be able to believe us.
