Chad Mendes has accepted his punishment from USADA without protest because he acknowledges that he broke the rules. However, the UFC featherweight is adamant that he has never knowingly taken performance enhancing drugs.
Last week, USADA announced that Mendes was suspended for two years after testing positive for GHRP-6 (Growth Hormone-Releasing Hexapeptide) in an out-of-competition urine test conducted on May 17. He is not eligible to return to UFC competition until June 10, 2018, two years from the date he was handed a provisional suspension.
Mendes does not deny taking the substance, but he claims that it was from a skin cream used to treat plaque psoriasis, a condition the fighter says he’s dealt with his entire life.