When Gilbert Melendez returns on July 23 for his fight with Edson Barboza at UFC on FOX 20, it will have been 13 months since he last competed in the UFC. Melendez dropped a split decision to Eddie Alvarez at UFC 188 in Mexico City, and was subsequently suspended for testing positive for testosterone metabolites.
Since that time, "El Nino" hasn’t spoken about the incident, other than to issue an initial statement.
"Regrettably, I tested positive in my post fight urine sample for UFC 188," Melendez said last July. "I did not inject anything, but I am responsible and accept the consequences for the results. I will make sure I am better educated about the products I use and their implications. Going forward I will ensure no products I use will contain banned substances. I am sincerely apologetic to everyone who supports me, including my fans, sponsors and the UFC. I value your trust and respect and will do everything in my power to keep it."
Yet on Monday, Melendez made a public appearance on The MMA Hour, and brushed on the topic of his suspension. When asked to clarify what had happened, instead of getting into specifics, Melendez owned up to his mistake.
"Well, you know what, I really don’t want to go down a rabbit hole or anything like that," he told Ariel Helwani. "But the gist of it is I made a mistake. I made a mistake that won’t happen again, and I’m not proud of it. I’m doing my best to move on from it, and I’m hoping everyone else can, and it’s understandable if they can’t. But I just want to do everything in my power to prove that I am still a warrior and I’m a great fighter and just wanting to move forward, to be honest."
LINK: Gilbert Melendez owns his 'mistake,' says he's ready to move on from suspension
