Brian Bowles (pictured) tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone following UFC 160. Photo courtesy of MMAWeekly.com.

UFC bantamweight Brian Bowles tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone following his UFC 160 loss to George Roop, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) announced through a mass email on Friday.

Bowles’ test results showed his testosterone-to-epitestosterone ratio being 20:1, which is drastically higher than the 6:1 allowance in the state of Nevada.

NSAC Executive Director Keith Kizer spoke with MMAjunkie.com, saying that Bowles had not applied for a therapeutic-use exemption for testosterone prior to the UFC 160 card, which took place May 25 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Kizer added that a suspension will soon follow, according to the reporting outlet.

Bowles has made no public comment since news of his positive test was first reported.

Other fighters, such as Chael Sonnen, have been granted therapeutic-use exemptions in the past leading into their fights in the state of Nevada.

Bowles lost to Roop via second-round technical knockout on the undercard portion of UFC 160.

UFC 160′s Brian Bowles tests positive for elevated testosterone levels

(photo courtesy: MMAWeekly.com)

(L-R) Gegard Mousasi punches Ilir Latifi in their light heavyweight fight at the Ericsson Globe Arena on April 6, 2013 in Stockholm, Sweden. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Gegard Mousasi watched last weekend’s UFC on FX 8 card, and was impressed with Vitor Belfort’s knockout of former Strikeforce champ Luke Rockhold.

Mousasi’s reaction to the outcome: Belfort did well. Watching the No. 2-ranked middleweight in the world was likely more homework than entertainment for the light heavyweight, however, as Mousasi now has his eyes set on a drop to 185 pounds.

“I think 185 is more suited for my body frame,” Mousasi told GRACIEMAG.com on Monday. “It’s a big possibility that I will go (down in weight class).”

Mousasi said that he is yet to discuss with the UFC about when he plans to drop to the middleweight division, but explained that he wants to maximize his strengths in the Octagon. The former Strikeforce and DREAM light heavyweight champion said that he’s confident moving to 185 pounds will maximize those strengths.

A few weeks ago, the fighter wrote on Twitter, asking what people thought about a drop to middleweight. The response was positive, Mousasi said. And despite previous reluctancy to cut the weight necessary to make 185, the Dutch-Armenian mixed martial artist said he is now more open to the idea.

“The last couple of fights … I didn’t need a lot of weight cutting. It was much easier to make the weight,” Mousasi said, adding that in his last fight, a match with last-minute replacement Ilir Latifi, he didn’t have to cut much weight at all. “In the past I thought (light heavyweight) was better for me, but I’m more open to middleweight. I have options: Go try out 205, (and) if it doesn’t work out, go to 185.

“I think I would be successful in both divisions, but I give less advantage to my opponent (at middleweight).”

In terms of who Mousasi would like to fight at 185 pounds, he said anyone in the division would be good. His manager, Nima Safapour, recently said that his fighter’s move to middleweight would make the most sense if it came with a fight against one of the best in the division.

“Gegard is very serious about doing it,” Safapour said in an email to GRACIEMAG.com, referencing the drop in weight class. “However, it would only make sense for him if he was offered a top five fighter upon entering the division.”

Vitor Belfort, for example, is right up there with the top of the weight class. A fight with him, Mousasi said, would be a good match-up. Following his win at UFC on FX 8 — as well as in recent months — Belfort has come under fire for undergoing testosterone-replacement therapy (TRT) while competing in the UFC. The procedure has been described as cheating in many circles and numerous personalities within the industry, including UFC President Dana White, have criticized those who have gone the route of TRT.

Mousasi, however, isn’t so critical. The fighter said that skills hold more weight in determining the outcome of a fight than that of artificial testosterone, and he would welcome the opportunity to fight Belfort, regardless of the scrutiny that he’s under.

“I’m not afraid of fighting him,” Mousasi said. “Of course (TRT) gives an advantage … But in the end, a fight is a fight (and) if you’re skilled enough, it shouldn’t matter that a guy is on TRT or not.”

Testosterone aside, Mousasi’s drop to middleweight won’t come for another several months because of a knee injury he sustained leading into his most recent bout. The fighter said he won’t return to training at 100 percent for another three to four months, but when he does come back, a middleweight tilt will likely be his next challenge.

Who Mousasi’s first 185-pound challenge will be, specifically? That won’t be answered today. But as he recovers from injury and watches guys like Belfort win middleweight fights in devastating fashion, Mousasi’s confidence isn’t shaken one bit.

“There’s no one in 185 that I could lose to or I would have a hard fight with,” he said. “I’m capable of beating anybody at 185.”

UFC heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez (pictured) is in favor of stricter drug testing policies in the UFC. Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images.

Add Cain Velasquez to the list of UFC fighters to defend the idea of stricter doping tests within the organization. 

Currently, fighters are tested through urine samples, but the heavyweight champion believes that exams should be done through blood tests more frequently, and even by surprise.

“There are rules,” Velasquez said. “We all must follow the same rules.”

The champ shares this opinion with UFC fighters like Junior dos Santos, Georges St-Pierre, Benson Henderson and Daniel Cormier. For them, it’s possible to compete at a high rate without the use of anabolic steroids. For Velasquez, the seriousness in controlling the tests will disallow opponents who use illegal substances from taking advantage of him in a fight.

“I’m a natural athlete,” he said. “All my opponents should be the same way. It is not fair that those (fighters) have an advantage.”

When asked of teammate Lavar Johnson, who was recently cut by the UFC after a drug test showed high levels of testosterone following his UFC 157 fight, the champion did not hesitate.

“I feel good that the tests are being done more often,” he said. “My thought is to be natural, not doped … Those who don’t follow it will be out.”

GRACIEMAG.com was on the scene in Torrance, Calif. for the UFC 157 open workouts, and caught up with MMA veteran Dan Henderson. The fighter took questions from the media and opened up about using TRT, as well as giving his take on testing for it in MMA. Check it out in the player above.

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Photo by David Dermer/Diamond Images/Getty Images

After we reported here on GRACIEMAG.com that Rousimar Palhares had been flagged for elevated testosterone after his fight at UFC on FX 6, the athlete addressed the issue publicly by way of a press release.

“I’ve always been very careful about my diet and concerned about not ever using anything that could harm my body or my performance in the octagon. And this time was no different,” he said. “I never meant to cheat. I’ve had nearly 30 fights in my career, a good portion of them in the UFC. I’ve been through numerous surprise tests, and nothing’s ever gone wrong. Furthermore, I knew I was going to be subjected to testing after fighting in Australia because that’s the standard in the UFC. I have a clear conscience but accept the punishment. The rules exist for everyone to follow.”

Another to weigh in on the case was the fighter’s master, Murilo Bustamante. The head of Brazilian Top Team feels his student never meant to break the UFC’s rules but did make sure to admonish his disciple.

“Rousimar is one of the most disciplined guys when it comes to diet, physical conditioning and anything involving his profession there is,” Bustamante said. “But if he got flagged for something, it’s because he got sloppy at some point. So this case has to serve as an example to all other fighters. Everyone has to be double careful about what they put in their bodies. The testing is becoming more and more rigorous, and that’s why everyone has to be more and more careful about the food they eat and supplements they take.”

Toquinho will have to go nine months without fighting. The suspension imposed by the UFC is retroactive dating from Dec. 14, and the fighter will only be allowed to fight again once further testing comes back clean after his suspension is up.

Joey Beltran also had a positive test following UFC on FX 6. The Team Alliance fighter’s results showed traces of nandrolone, and he, like Palhares, will serve a nine-month suspension retroactive to Dec. 14.

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Following a suspension for elevated levels of testosterone, Alistair Overeem (pictured) was granted a license to fight on Tuesday, paving the way for his UFC 156 fight with “Bigfoot” Silva. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

After a nine-month suspension, UFC heavyweight Alistair Overeem appeared in front of the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Tuesday and was granted a license to fight.

The five-person panel voted unanimously to grant the hulking heavyweight a license, which allows for Overeem to face Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in their scheduled bout in Las Vegas at UFC 156 on Feb. 2.

“I’m ready to get my life back on track,” Overeem said during the hearing.

During Overeem’s suspension, the fighter provided the NSAC with five drug tests, all of which he administered himself, according to NSAC executive director Keith Kizer. The results of those tests came back negative. Additionally, the governing body subjected the fighter to two tests of their own. Both those tests came back negative, as well.

Overeem was originally suspended in April following a surprise drug test in March that showed elevated levels of testosterone. The commission allows for athletes to have a testosterone-to-epitestosterone ratio of 6:1, but Overeem’s test showed the fighter had a ratio of 14:1.

In the weeks that followed being suspended, Overeem appeared before the commission and explained that his positive test stemmed from an anti-inflammatory injection administered by a doctor named Hector Molina. The treatment, Overeem said, produced the elevated testosterone levels without his knowledge. The commission, however, denied the fighter licensure at the time and informed him he could not reapply for nine months.

With the license now secure, the Overeem-Silva fight has a green light, and the winner will likely be next in line for a shot at newly-crowned heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez.

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