ONE Championship has suspended Dmitry Menshikov after the former lightweight Muay Thai title challenger tested positive for multiple banned substances, a source told the Bangkok Post.
The 27-year-old Russian striker will now serve a six-month ban having failed a doping test immediately after his first-round KO of Tengnueng at ONE Friday Fights 97 on February 14.
Menshikov’s in-competition samples – collected at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand following the fight – tested positive for fonturacetam and furosemide.
Both substances are banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency, whose international standard prohibited list is used by the ONE Anti-Doping Programme.
Menshikov’s victory over Thailand’s Tengnueng will also be overturned and deemed a no contest.
The testing process was carried out by the Sweden-based International Doping Tests & Management (IDTM), which merged with Drug Free Sport International in September 2018.
Together, they work with more than 300 sport and athletic organisations around the world including the NFL, MLB, NBA, NASCAR, the PGA Tour, LPGA, and NCAA.
Fonturacetam, also known as phenylpiracetam, is a stimulant that can boost athletic performance by increasing stamina and endurance, and decreasing physical and mental fatigue.
Furosemide is a diuretic that can be used to reduce weight and increase urine production, which can flush other prohibited substances from the system before doping tests.
Menshinkov, primarily a kickboxer who made his name in the Glory and RCC Fair Fight promotions, debuted in ONE Championship in June 2023, suffering a first-round knockout loss in a Muay Thai title fight against Regian Eersel.
He rebounded with four straight KOs over Rungrawee Sitsongpeenong, Mouhcine Chafi, Sinsamut Klinmee and Tengnueng.
The Russian was angered by his relative inactivity, however, and his lack of any US$50,000 performance bonuses for his finishes.
In the week of his most recent fight, Menshikov announced he would be serving legal notice against ONE Championship for what he saw as a breach of contract, and insisted he would subsequently be entering free agency.
"I had some great fights with ONE,” Menshikov told Beyond Kickboxing in February. “But a single bout per year is not a sustainable calendar for a competitive athlete and is a clear breach of the understanding between the fighter and the organisation when we entered into a promotional contract.”
