From
www.Sherdog.com
Two days from his first professional fight since 1999, Bas Rutten (Pictures) was relaxing at home when he got the call that his opponent, Kimo Leopoldo (Pictures), had been forced off Saturday’s World Fighting Alliance pay-per-view card after allegedly testing positive for Stanozolol, a banned synthetic anabolic steroid derived from testosterone.
As of Thursday evening, California State Athletic Commission Chief Armando Garcia could not comment on the allegations. However, the WFA has already moved forward, signing Ohioan Wes Sims (Pictures), who was scheduled to compete July 28 on the WEC card honoring Ryan Bennett, to fill the vacated slot.
The 26-year-old Sims, who will pocket $30,000 for fighting Rutten on short notice, plans to catch a flight tonight from Houston, Texas, where he was training, to Los Angeles so he can undergo the battery of medical tests required for CSAC licensees.
This is not the first time Leopoldo, famous for his clash with Royce Gracie (Pictures) at UFC III, has failed a urinalysis.
Following a June 2004 UFC contest in which Leopoldo was knocked out by Ken Shamrock (Pictures), the Hawaiian was suspended six months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and fined $5,000 for having Stanozolol, more commonly known as Winstrol — a popular steroid among bodybuilders for its weight-cutting benefits — in his system.
“Every guy who uses steroids to fight is a fucking pussy,” said an exasperated Rutten. “For him to do this shit after all the promotion he did, all the shit he talked about me — taking me out in minutes and all that bullshit — apparently that was the steroids talking, right?”
Regarding the six-foot-nine Sims, Rutten said he respects the heavyweight for stepping up on short notice. However, the former UFC heavyweight champion indicated Sims requires a completely different game plan than the one he devised for Kimo.
“It’s a total different game,” Rutten said. “Everybody always says ‘oh it’s Wes Sims (Pictures), he lost this and lost that.’ But yea, if you’ve seen his last fight he’s trying really hard, training really hard. He’s got a fight next week. He’s going to be in shape. It’s a total different opponent for me. I got to put suddenly in my head a totally different opponent. For him it’s just a fight, you know.”
“It’s another thing for me,” he laughed. “Another challenge.”
Pele Out, Kampmann In
In a totally unrelated set of circumstances, the WFA on Wednesday learned that Jose Landi-Jons (Pictures) would not be able to compete against Edwin Aguilar (Pictures). Though the reason for Pele’s absence remains unclear, Dutch striker Martin Kampmann has been signed to fill the hole left by the veteran Brazilian.
More On Bas/Kimo, Pele Off WFA Card Also! 
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