Long-standing speculation of steroid use against the woman largely considered the toughest female fighter on the planet seems to have merit after all. Strikeforce’s 145 pound women’s champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos has tested positive for stanozolol metabolites following her Dec. 17 title defense against Japan’s Hiroko Yamanaka in San Diego.
MMAJunkie.com reported the news on Friday. ProMMAnow.com was unable to reach the CSAC for comment.
Santos made short work of Yamanaka, finishing her via TKO due to punches in just 16 seconds at “Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal” live on Showtime. It was Santos’ fifth straight knockout and eleventh straight win as a professional.
But this result undoubtedly raises suspicions about all her wins. How long has she been using? Are all her wins tainted? She has seemed so unnaturally dominant over every woman she has faced for years; is this the reason?
Was her win over Gina Carano real? Would the former “face of women’s MMA” still be fighting if she had not been beat by a cheater? — These are the types of questions fans will raise, and rightfully so. And the truth of the matter is, we will never know for 100 percent certain.
The California State Athletic Commission has suspended Santos for one year and fined her $2,500. Her win over Yamanaka has been overturned to a no-contest. Santos has the right to an appeal of her suspension.
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker issued the following statement via the organization’s website:
“Strikeforce has not seen the test results regarding Ms. Santos. However, we have a consistent and strong stance against any use of performance-enhancing drugs. We also have a long history of supporting effective drug testing of athletes by authorized regulatory bodies. Therefore, we will closely monitor the matter and will work with the California State Athletic Commission regarding any information we may be asked to provide. We also recognize that Ms. Santos has administrative process rights under California law and we hope that she is not prejudged before she has the opportunity to exercise such rights.”
Stay close to ProMMAnow.com (www.prommanow.com) for further developments and updates on this story.
that pic is just nasty!!
…Or was this all just a way to get rid of Cyborg because women’s MMA was tanking ever since she took the title. She crushed everyone, it was no contest, and not many women would even take a fight with her. She wasn’t marketable like Gina Carano, and her being the champ was getting in the way of $$$ for Strikeforce. So, my theory is that they bought Cyborg out, she accepted since she wasn’t making any money anyway because she wasn’t getting many fights, and now they can put a prettier, more marketable champion up there and now women’s MMA will finally start moving again. The whole steroid thing doesn’t mean she can’t ever fight again, and plus she may have gotten a hefty payout to take the rap. Just my theory…