USADA News

Josh Evanoff - July 11, 2023

The PFL has decided to hire USADA after a recent string of drug failures. In April, the company had a series of fighters fail their drug tests in Nevada. Furthermore, it wasn’t just a prelim fighter or two, it was multiple high-profile competitors. Former tournament winners Rob Wilkinson and Bruno Cappelozza tested positive, as did new signee Thiago Santos.

Chris Taylor - June 18, 2022

UFC lightweight Bobby Green is not happy after allegedly being “chased” by USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) for a drug test. Green (29-13-1 MMA), who has not competed since suffering a first round TKO loss to Islam Makhachev in February, took to social media where he sounded off on USADA officials.

Drake Riggs - August 30, 2021

UFC fans won’t be seeing Lilya Shakirova on their screens until 2022. USADA announced on Monday that the UFC flyweight prospect had received a suspension for past usage of a banned substance.

Tom Taylor - July 27, 2020

Gilbert Melendez, who is no longer a member of the UFC roster, has been suspended for two years by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). USADA, the official anti-doping partner of the UFC, announced this news in a Monday press release:

Natasha Hooper - June 19, 2020

UFC Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance Jeff Novitzky has explained why so many fighters test positive for Ostarine, and why it is a banned substance. This week, women’s flyweight Rachael Ostovich fighter received a one-year suspension from USADA after testing positive for several banned substances. The 29-year old tested positive for Ostarine and GW1516 as part of an out-of-competition drug test collected on January 3, 2020.

Tom Taylor - June 12, 2020

The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has given two athletes a pass on the basis that banned substances entered their systems via sexual transmission. Inside the MMA bubble, USADA is known as the official anti-doping partner for the UFC. The organization has made a long list of busts since it joined forces with the mixed martial arts promotion.

Tom Taylor - May 11, 2020

UFC middleweight contender Kelvin Gastelum has received a suspension from the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) after testing positive for marijuana. This is the second time Gastelum has tested positive for the substance. The drug test in question was administered after Gastelum’s UFC 244 loss to Darren Till. Gastelum was originally handed a nine-month suspension for this failed test, retroactive to November 3, but that term was later reduced by four months.

Harry Kettle - March 18, 2020

The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has announced that they will continue random drug testing on UFC fighters despite the coronavirus pandemic. The sports world has been turned upside down in the last week or so as a direct result of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, with multiple leagues and organizations being forced to cancel or postpone events for the foreseeable future.

Harry Kettle - January 14, 2020

UFC 246 star Anthony Pettis has revealed that he is using USADA after cutting his finger whilst providing a drug test sample before UFC 241. Pettis, who will be fighting this weekend in Las Vegas, was referencing an incident that took place a matter of hours before his fight against Nate Diaz this past summer which, in the eyes of some, could have wound up impacting some areas of the fight.

Natasha Hooper - December 4, 2019

MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz wants fighters to careful in their dealings with the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). Abdelaziz is the CEO of Dominance MMA. The company is responsible for a roster of MMA talent including Khabib Nurmagomedov, Frankie Edgar, Kamaru Usman, and Henry Cejudo (to name a few).

Tom Taylor - November 25, 2019

The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has announced sweeping changes to the UFC’s anti-doping policy. These changes were announced in a Monday press release, which can be read below: The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and the UFC® today announced changes to the UFC Anti-Doping Policy. The policy changes are designed to ensure intentional cheaters are deterred and held accountable in the event they choose to dope while also being fair and just on those athletes who innocently test positive for a prohibited substance and gain no performance advantage.

Thomas Taylor - October 30, 2019

Nate Diaz gave everybody a scare last week when he announced that an adverse finding on one of his United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) drug tests had forced him out of his UFC 244 fight with Jorge Masvidal. Thankfully, everything turned out ok, and his fight with Masvidal will go ahead as planned, but it was still a stress-inducing moment for anyone that follows this sport.

Cole Shelton - April 24, 2019

Marlon Moraes is getting a shot at the vacant UFC bantamweight title, this after T.J. Dillashaw relinquished his belt due to a two-year suspension from USADA. Dillashaw had tested positive for the banned substance EPO in the lead up to his fight with Flyweight champ Henry Cejudo. Although some fighters claim that they always knew TJ Dillashaw was using drugs, Marlon Moraes was still still shocked and disappointed by the news.

Tom Taylor - April 24, 2019

If you were hoping to see undefeated middleweight knockout artist Paulo Costa back in the cage soon, well, you might have some waiting to do. According to UFC vice president of athlete health and performance Jeff Novitzky, Paulo Costa is still being investigated by the United States Anti-Doping Agency after being fined $9,333.33 by the New York State Athletic Commission for an unknown violation.

Drake Riggs - April 23, 2019

It has been an absolute rollercoaster ride of a career to this point for the inaugural UFC flyweight champion, Nicco Montano. Entering The Ultimate Fighter season 26 as a bright prospect yet consensus underdog, Montano would go on to win the whole show and become the champion as she defeated some of the division’s best. Her crowning moment came on December 1, 2017.

Tom Taylor - April 23, 2019

UFC heavyweight Walt Harris has accepted a four-month sanction from the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) after testing positive for the anabolic agent LGD-4033. In addition, Harris’ UFC 232 split decision victory over former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski has been overturned to a no-contest. USADA announced this news in a release, explaining that Harris’ violation was the result of his use of a tainted supplement:

Tom Taylor - April 11, 2019

This week, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) handed former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw a two-year suspension for his use of EPO, a powerful performance enhancer that can only be taken by injection. This news was particularly pertinent to former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt, who has lost to TJ Dillashaw twice in the last two years. Garbrandt himself, and other members of the MMA community, have wondered publicly if Dillashaw might have had an extra advantage in their two recent bouts.

Tom Taylor - April 10, 2019

Yesterday afternoon, former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw was hit with a two-year suspension from the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) after testing positive for recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO), a substance that can only be injected, and is therefor not taken accidentally. Speaking on Instagram, Duane Ludwig, the long-time handler of TJ Dillashaw, issued a quick statement on the situation. He referred to Dillashaw’s EPO use as “inexcusable” but vowed to stand by his student.