Exclusive | ONE Championship’s Kairat Akhmetov and Julie Mezabarba suspended after failing drug tests

Source says Akhmetov tested positive for banned substance in an out-of-competition test on May 15
Mezabarba tested positive for multiple banned substances in an in-competition test on April 22

ONE Championship

Nicolas Atkin

Published: 12:58pm, 16 Jun 2023

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Two ONE Championship fighters recently failed drugs tests, a source has told the Post, with both suspended under the martial arts promotion’s anti-doping programme guidelines.

Kairat Akhmetov reportedly tested positive for a banned substance in an out-of-competition test on May 15. He is expected to be suspended for six months.

Julie Mezabarba, meanwhile, has reportedly tested positive for multiple banned substances in an in-competition test on April 22.

She will be suspended for 18 months but the 30-year-old Brazilian (11-5-1) has already been released from the promotion, as evidenced by her competing at two local regional events in Brazil since her decision loss to Denice Zamboanga at ONE Fight night 9 in Bangkok.

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Denice Zamboanga celebrates her win over Julie Mezabarba at ONE Fight Night 9 in Bangkok.

Drug test samples are collected and processed under the guidelines and supervision of a Doping Control Officer (DCO) for International Doping Tests and Management (IDTM), ONE’s anti-doping partner.

Kazakhstan’s Akhmetov, 35, defeated Reece McLaren via unanimous decision on May 5 at the promotion’s on-ground US debut in Denver, ONE Fight Night 10, 10 days before his positive test.

The source said that Akhmetov’s win over the Australian would not be overturned, as his positive test was out-of-competition, per ONE rules.

“The Kazakh” (30-2) returned to the cage after the main event for a staredown with flyweight MMA champion and home hero Demetrious Johnson, after the American retained his title in a trilogy bout with Adriano Moraes.

The 36-year-old Johnson stated after the fight he was still undecided on retirement, but the post-fight staredown suggested Akhmetov would be his next challenger should he decide to compete again.

ONE entered a new anti-doping partnership last August, telling all its athletes via an internal memo they would be tested at all events starting that month.

It was announced in September that Croatian MMA heavyweight Martin Batur (7-3, 1 No Contest) had tested positive for a banned substance in a sample collected at August 26’s ONE 160 event in Singapore, on what was his promotional debut.

Batur’s first-round TKO of Britain’s Paul Elliot was re-ruled a No Contest.

Kairat Akhmetov lands a punch on Reece McLaren at ONE Fight Night 10 in Denver.

Heavyweight MMA fighter Jasur Mirzamukhamedov (6-1) became the second athlete to test positive for a performance-enhancing substance with ONE Championship’s new anti-doping partner.

In January, the 36-year-old was suspended from competing in MMA for six months under ONE drug testing programme guidelines, the promotion announced. The Uzbekistani was also released from his ONE contract.

ONE did not say in its release when his positive sample was collected, but he last fought in a unanimous decision loss to Oumar “Reug Reug” Kane at ONE on Prime Video 5 in December at Mall of Asia Arena in Manilla.

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