GLORY has suspended Heavyweight fighters Murat Aygun and Enver Sljivar for violations of their anti-doping rules. The fighters, who faced each other at GLORY 85 in Rotterdam, both tested positive for an illegal substance after their debut on April 29. The fight, originally a win for Murat Aygun, has now been turned into a no-contest.
Aygun is faced with a one-year suspension, which is the default penalty for a first-time violation in GLORY. His test came out positive for methandienone, an anabolic steroid commonly found with athletes and bodybuilders. Interestingly enough Murat Aygun has presented evidence that his use of the banned substance was done before he signed the contract with GLORY. His last fight prior to his GLORY debut was a title fight in ONE against Roman Kryklia. For Sljivar the punishment is a little harsher, he faces a two-year ban from competition. This could potentially mean that it was the second time the 38-year-old Bosnian had been caught for the use of a banned substance. This time it was drostanolone, another anabolic steroid.
The news comes at an interesting time for the organization, as GLORY recently presented its initiative to upscale its testing program to also test outside of competition. Within the new rules, GLORY is now able to take away fighters' fight purses, impose additional fines, and change results into wins for the opponent. The latter won’t be necessary in this case, since both fighters tested positive. Last year GLORY’s Heavyweight division took a heavy hit when big names such as Jamal Ben Saddik, Cihad Kepenek, and Alistair Overeem were charged with suspensions after positive doping tests. These new sanctions show GLORY is ready to double down on its efforts to combat performance enhancing drug abuse of its athletes.
