Kimo out, Sims in.
Kimo Leopoldo has been pulled from the co-main event of the WFA's King of the Streets card due to his failure of a pre-fight drug test, and he has been replaced by Wes Sims. MMAWeekly spoke with Sims on Thursday night, and Sims confirmed that he will be replacing Kimo in the fight against Bas Rutten.
In a statement, WFA CEO Jeremy Lappen said, "The California Athletic Commission has informed the World Fighting Alliance that Kimo Leopoldo has tested positive for a banned substance and therefore is not eligible for his July 22 bout with Bas Rutten at the Forum in Los Angeles. The WFA is a fighter-first organization, so Kimo’s disqualification is a disappointment for our entire family of fighters."
Sims has stepped up to fight Rutten on two days' notice, but not before struggling with the decision to accept the fight due to the fact that it will prevent him from participating in the WEC's Ryan Bennett Memorial Event on July 28th. Sims was told that California State Athletic Commission rules would not allow him from competing twice within a seven-day span.
After his fight against Ken Shamrock at UFC 48 in mid-2004, Kimo tested positive for the anabolic steroid Stanozolol in his post-fight drug test. Kimo was suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and served his suspension, but he hasn't fought in the continental United States since then. As a result of the 2004 drug test failure, Kimo would have to pass a pre-fight drug test before he could be licensed to fight again in Nevada or California. Kimo failed this pre-fight drug test and will not be allowed to fight on this weekend's WFA card as a result.
Though the statement from the WFA only says that Kimo "tested positive for a banned substance," the Wrestling Observer reports that Kimo once again tested positive for the anabolic steroid Stanozolol. Though there is a common belief among users of Stanozolol that one can get it out of his or her system within a few weeks, many of these same people then fail drug tests when they find out that traces of Stanozolol can actually be detected in your system for more than six months after you've stopped taking it.
The WFA's CEO, Jeremy Lappen, said that while Kimo's positive test is a disappointment, it is also "a reminder that the WFA and Mixed Martial Arts is a professional sport, governed by the same rules as other major sports leagues. This situation, while disappointing, validates the steps we are taking as an organization and a sport to ensure the integrity of competition."
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