It’s been well over a year since Ryan Garcia tested positive for Ostarine. And it had catastrophic consequences for the Victorville native. Not only was his win expunged, but his purse was taken away, and he was suspended for a year. In May this year, he returned and suffered his second career loss to Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero. Now, it appears WBC super lightweight champion Subriel Matias is awaiting a somewhat similar fate. 

The 31-year-old was scheduled to defend his title against undefeated Dalton Smith on January 10 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. However, ahead of the fight, Matias delivered an adverse analytical finding for performance-enhancing drug Ostarine in a VADA test, per Ring Magazine. As you can imagine, this has put his upcoming title defense in jeopardy. But now, the question is, what will Subriel Matias do next? 

Subriel Matias has just ten days

The Puerto Rican fighter now has just 10 days, until December 1, to request testing of his B-sample, as reported by Ring Magazine’s Mike Coppinger. If Matias fails the B-sample as well, he could be stripped of his WBC title, and the sanctioning body may order an immediate vacant title fight between Dalton Smith and Alberto Puello. Puello, notably, dropped a majority-decision loss to Matias in July in New York, which is how Matias won the title in the first place.

The Nevada Athletic Commission, the same body that handed Ryan Garcia his punishment for his positive test, will oversee the ruling on Matias if the investigation goes against him. Ostarine is a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) originally developed to treat muscle wasting and osteoporosis. It boosts muscle growth and strength with fewer steroid-like side effects. It has never been FDA-approved, is banned in sports by WADA, and is illegal to sell for human use, though it remains widely available online as a research chemical.

What’s more, Ryan Garcia and Subriel Matias aren’t the only fighters to test positive for Ostarine. Lucian Bute tested positive for the same substance in 2016 after his draw with Badou Jack—Jack was later awarded a disqualification win. Amir Khan also received a two-year ban from UKAD after testing positive for Ostarine following his sixth-round TKO loss to Kell Brook in 2022.

In the meantime, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has released a statement about Matias’ case.

Mauricio Sulaiman expects full cooperation from Matias’ team

Sulaiman is no stranger to fighters testing positive for banned substances. When Matias’ test came to light, the WBC president quickly released a statement addressing the situation. He assured fans that the investigation would be handled properly. “The WBC has received notification from VADA about an adverse finding from a test performed by WBC Super lightweight champion Subriel Matias,” Sulaiman said in the statement.

“The WBC has begun the investigation process as per the Clean Boxing Program protocol. I have spoken to our champion, Subriel, and his Promoter, Mr Orengo, and they have expressed their absolute availability and cooperation as the process unfolds. The WBC will not make any further comments at this time.” And it’s worth noting that even though Ostarine is a banned substance, extremely low trace amounts could lead the NYSAC to consider a less severe punishment.

Having said that, it appears only time will tell whether Subriel Matias will be allowed to defend his title against Dalton Smith next month. Do you think Matias will suffer the same fate as Ryan Garcia, or worse?