Shlemenko

By FCF Staff

Alexander Shlemenko could be back in the Bellator cage much, much sooner than expected, as a court ruling has significantly reduced the three year suspension he was handed by the California Commission last year.

The Russian fighter received the suspension last June, after Shlemenko tested positive for steroid oxandrolone and oxandrolone metabolites. In addition, the former Bellator middleweight champ reportedly had a testostone/epitestosterone ratio of 50:1.

According to a report from MMA Fighting.com, however, the California Superior Court has ruled that Shlemenko could only be suspended until February of this year, since his license to compete in the state ended then. The court also ruled to reduce the suspension since Shlemenko was originally notified he was facing just a one year suspension.

Shlemenko (53-9), who has denied using PEDs, has been competing in Russia for M-1 Challenge. So, it remains to be seen if he’s punished by the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) for fighting while under suspension from another commission.