Cris "Cyborg" Santos

Strikeforce women’s 145-pound champ suspended, fined

Strikeforce women's featherweight champion Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos has tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, according to the California State Athletic Commission, and has been suspended for one year and fined $2,500. Additionally, Zuffa president Dana White on Friday said she will be stripped of her title.

The CSAC issued a release saying Santos failed a test after her most recent win, a 16-second destruction of Hiroko Yamanaka last month in San Diego. The fight was Santos' first in just under 18 months. But the bout has now been overturned from a win for Santos to a no contest.

The CSAC said Santos tested positive for stanozolol, a type of anabolic steroid. "Our primary concern is for the health and safety of fighters," George Dodd, the commission's executive director, said in a statement. "Anabolic agents and other banned substances put not only the users of those agents at risk, but their opponents as well. The commission simply will not tolerate their use."

Stanozolol has been a commonly used steroid amongst athletes. MMA fighters who have been suspended for its use include former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia, Chris Leben and Phil Baroni.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker issued a statement Friday regarding Santos' positive test:

"Strikeforce has not seen the test results regarding Ms. Santos," Coker said. "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."

Santos (10-1, 1 NC, 4-0, 1 NC Strikeforce) won her 11th straight fight when she stormed through Yamanaka, putting to rest in 16 seconds any talk of cage rust after being out for a year and a half. She won the Strikeforce women's 145-pound belt against Gina Carano in August 2009 and successfully defended the belt twice in 2010 against Marloes Coenen and Jan Finney.

Coker said after the fight against Yamanaka that Santos was "the Mike Tyson of female MMA," and he and Strikeforce matchmaker Sean Shelby were committed to "scouring the earth" to find a suitable next opponent for her. But they apparently can put that quest on hold for a while. Though Santos could appeal the ruling in the hopes of having her suspension reduced, even a successful appeal likely would still keep her sidelined the bulk of 2012.

And further damaging her hopes for a future with Zuffa as a champion, White told ESPN 1100 in Las Vegas on Friday she will no longer be Strikeforce's 145-pound champion, even if she returns.

"We were going to hold that division and just do fights with Cyborg whenever there was a new contender," White told the radio station, via USA Today. "She's getting stripped of the title. I don't know. We'll see what happens."