Cung Le to appeal year-long suspension

UFC middleweight Cung Le will exercise his right to appeal the one-year suspension he received after testing positive for elevated levels of HGH following an Aug. 23 fight in China, according to ESPN.com's Brett Okamoto.

"Of course," Gary Ibarra, Le's manager, said of the plan to appeal. "The UFC is fully aware of the issues we have with the testing (on Aug. 23). These are valid arguments we have raised."

Lawrence Epstein, the UFC's chief operating officer, said the appeal would be overseen by a third-party arbitrator.

"The (American Arbitration Association) would hear whatever Cung Le's arguments are. He has a certain time to file his intention to appeal. An arbitration panel would be set up, he'll make his case, arbitration will make its decision and that will be the end of it," he said.

If Le goes through with the appeal, it would mark the first time that a fighter would appeal a drug-related suspension directly to the UFC.