By:  | September 27, 2022 1:06 pm

Martin Batur has tested positive for a performance enhancing drug (PED) and his win over Paul Elliot has been overturned. The two heavyweights faced off at ONE 160 and the Croatian won by stoppage in the opening round.

Either before or after that event last month Batur was required to give a sample which was tested by International Doping Tests & Management (IDTM)  an anti-doping service provider headquartered in Sweden with a worldwide network. He tested positive for an anabolic steroid and has been banned by ONE Championship for a year.

According to the SCMP ONE 160 and ONE on Prime Video 1 were the first events in which all the fighters competing on the card were tested by IDTM. The newspaper reported that the company, operating independently, will be be testing everyone participating on future events.

New policy

This policy has not been confirmed by ONE Championship but is likely to lead to more suspensions in the future. The UFC introduced USADA testing in 2015 with officials travelling all over the world to subject fighters on the roster to random tests.

Since then there has been a series of high profile busts with some of the biggest names in the sport suspended for PED use. Among the UFC fighters to have been caught are Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, Brock Lesnar and TJ Dillashaw.

Historically promotions in Asia have not shown much interest in testing for PEDs. Pride never did and Rizin has even been known to feature fighters who are serving active USADA suspensions on its cards.

But ONE Championship is taking steps to ensure all fighters who compete are clean. For Batur that means the eighth victory of his MMA career will be chalked off.

No contest

The result of his fight with Paul Elliot will officially go down on the record of both men as a ‘no contest’. The promotion also stated that in future Batur, who is a teammate of welterweight star Roberto Soldić, will be tested ‘both in and out of competition’.

This presumably means that IDTM officials will have the power to demand another sample from Batur at any time, regardless of whether he has a fight booked. He will go down in history as the first fighter to be suspended by ONE Championship for PED use, he is unlikely to be the last.