Two UFC fighters accept two-year suspensions from USADA

A UFC heavyweight and featherweight were both facing pretty identical issues with USADA, and it turns out that they have both accepted the same two-year suspensions after a multi-day arbitration hearing.

Ruslan Magomedov (14-1, 3-0 UFC) and Zubaira Tukhugov (18-4, 3-1 UFC) both tested positive for ostarine from out-competition samples collected way back on September 7th, 2016. Tukhugov popped for it again in an October 29th out-of-competition test as well, but USADA treated them as the same failure for the purposes of their investigation.

Both men blamed tainted supplement for their failures and denied directly using the substance, but USADA couldn’t independently confirm that fact. So they gave them the full two-year terms.

Here is that USADA’s press release on the issue says:

“The athletes presented testimony and submitted evidence in an attempt to support their supplement contamination claims and request for a reduced period of ineligibility. Nevertheless, after two days of testimony, USADA informed Magomedov and Tukhugov that it was still unwilling to consider a reduced sanction because it did not believe supplement contamination was a valid explanation for their positive tests.

“Thereafter, and before the conclusion of the hearing, USADA and the athletes reached an agreement to resolve the case, with Magomedov and Tukhugov each accepting a two-year period of ineligibility and agreeing to contribute a total of $10,000 toward the costs of the arbitration proceedings.”

The suspensions are retroactive to September 26th, 2016, so the two fighters are eligible to return on that date later this year. Magomedov last competed in October 2015, where he defeated Shawn Jordan via unanimous decision. Tukhukov suffered his UFC loss to Renato Moicano in his last bout in May 2016.