Former UFC fighter Erik Koch receives 18-month sanction for violating anti-doping policy

Former UFC fighter Erik Koch has been handed an 18-month suspension as a result of a doping violation.

Koch, 32, has fought across a stretch of different weight classes over the years with his final bout in the Ultimate Fighting Championship coming in July 2019. On that night he beat Kyle Stewart via unanimous decision but as revealed a few months back, he is now no longer under contract with the UFC.

The following statement from USADA has confirmed the aforementioned violation that will ensure Koch isn’t back in the UFC anytime soon.

“USADA announced today that Erik Koch, of Cedar Rapids, Wisc., has accepted an 18-month sanction for a violation of the UFC® Anti-Doping Policy (UFC ADP).

Koch, 32, tested positive for 3′-hydroxy-stanozolol, a metabolite of stanozolol, as the result of a urine sample collected on October 3, 2020. Stanozolol is a non-Specified Substance in the class of Anabolic Agents and prohibited at all times under the UFC ADP and UFC Prohibited List.

Koch received a six-month reduction to the default two-year sanction based on his Full and Complete Cooperation (FCC) based on the unique circumstances of his case. Under the UFC ADP, USADA may grant an FCC reduction in the event an athlete demonstrates that they did not intend to enhance their performance and provided full, prompt, and truthful responses and information to all reasonable inquiries and requests for information.

His 18-month period of ineligibility began on October 3, 2020, the date his positive sample was collected.”

Koch seems to be focusing a lot of his time on training and coaching others but given his age, you’d think he would still want to pop up somewhere and fight before he hangs up his gloves for good.

What do you think about the suspension handed down to Erik Koch? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments, BJPENN Nation!