2024-09-06 22:54:31
Blagoi Ivanov-Bagata will scrape off what he has scraped, and then he will start again with what he does best.
This is how the statement of the world-ranked Bulgarian mixed martial arts star to “24 Hours” regarding his doping punishment can be summed up.
Due to the presence of a prohibited substance in his body, Bagata has his rights suspended until January 2026. The American Anti-Doping Agency announced that Ivanov received a reduced sanction due to his “full and complete cooperation”. In general, however, it is inexplicably large against the background of some other cases.
However, this does not lead Bagata to thoughts of parting with the sport, on the contrary.
“The truth is that I was wrong. I had a trauma problem and was advised to use a body cream – androgel. At this point I was out of contract after my relationship with the UFC ended. Accordingly, I was a free agent and did not fall under the US Anti-Doping Agency’s system of permanent checks,” explained Ivanov.
However, after that comes the offer of a contract from another MMA circuit – PFL. “I had to react quickly, as there was not much time left until the first fight of the tournament (6 fighters in a category fight for a prize of 1 million dollars – b.a.). In my career, I have given more than 30 negative samples, but now it has come to this situation,” said Bagata.
Already with a signed contract, the 37-year-old Bulgarian again enters the system for doping tests and during the inspection gives a positive test for an anabolic agent.
The result comes after his match with Russian Sergey Belosteni, lost after a controversial referee’s decision.