BloodyElbow reported today that fourteen-time UFC veteran Tyson Griffin tested positive for marijuana and was suspended following his November 2010 bout against Nik Lentz.
Griffin, who lost a controversial split decision to Lentz that night in Michigan at UFC 123, registered the presence of cannabinoids in his post-fight drug screening, and was punished with both a fine and suspension. However, this news went curiously unreported by the Michigan Unarmed Combat Commission and the UFC.
The iffy loss to Lentz had Griffin on a three-fight losing streak, so the 27-year-old decided to drop weight, returning to action some eight months later to take on Manny Gamburyan in his featherweight debut. He was successful in that fight, but got knocked out in his second divisional appearance by Bart Palaszewski.
UFC 123 also featured the bizarre time-keeping issue in the Gerald Harris-Maiquel Falcao middleweight tilt.
So far, neither the UFC or MUCC have given any reason for the test going unreported. Since it is standard practice for either the promotion or athletic commission to make such things public, it will be interesting to hear what kept both entities from disclosing Griffin’s drug test results.
The promotion recently came under fire for disclosure issues related to an interview former light heavyweight champ Quinton “Rampage” Jackson participated in with FightersOnly. In the conversation, Jackson alleged that he’d injured his knee in training camp and then been sent to a UFC-sponsored “age-management” doctor, who put him on a testosterone replacement therapy regimen ahead of his UFC 144 fight against Ryan Bader.
