Shlemenko to resume Bellator career after three-year suspension lifted

Alexander Shlemenko will once again compete in the United States.

On Wednesday afternoon, Bellator MMA announced that Shlemenko would resume his role on their roster after his three-year suspension by the California State Athletic Commission was lifted in court. According to ESPN, Shlemenko is scheduled to face Kendall Grove at Bellator 162 in October.

The former Bellator middleweight champion was handed a three-year suspension by the CSAC when a post-fight drug test found a testosterone-to-epitestosterone (T/E) ratio of 50-1 and oxandrolone and oxandrolone metabolites in his system. He sued the commission one year ago and got his sentence lifted in July 2016.

To this day, Shlemenko maintains his innocence regarding the use of performance-enhancing substances.

The Omsk, Russia native competed under the M-1 Global banner twice while under suspension with CSAC. Shlemenko fought former M-1 champ Vyacheslav Vasilevsky on two occasion and was even crowned M-1 Grand Prix champion back in June. He did this while under contract with Bellator, as he had received permission from the promotion to compete abroad.