Three current UFC fighters, including a former champion, plus a former fighter, were recently suspended by the United States Anti-Doping Agency for testing positive for the same banned substance.
Former UFC women's flyweight champion Nicco Montano, Sean O'Malley, Marvin Vettori and Augusto Mendes all failed random, out-of-competition drug tests for ostarine. After investigating each case, USADA determined the four fighters did not knowingly ingest the banned substance. Rather, USADA concluded the positive tests were caused by contaminated supplements that contained ostarine. As a result, all four fighters were given six-month suspensions, some of which have already expired.
According to USADA, ostarine, also known as MK-2866 and Enobosarm, is a "selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) that is illegally sold worldwide as a performance-enhancing substance. Ostarine is not currently available as a prescription medication in any country, and its unauthorized use may carry serious side effects." It is commonly found in dietary supplements and unlisted in the ingredients, USADA said in a news release.
Montano, 30, tested positive on Oct. 25. She accepted a six-month suspension retroactive to Nov. 15, the date she was provisionally suspended. Montano hasn't fought since she won the 125-pound title in December 2017. She was stripped of the belt in September after she failed to make weight prior to her title fight against Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 228.
O'Malley, 24, failed two out-of-competition tests for ostarine on Sept. 5 and Dec. 8; however, his two positives tests, according to USADA, were treated as a singular first violation because the agency concluded the trace amounts found in both tests were consistent with ingestion prior to Sept. 5. His six-month suspension began on Sept. 19, the date he was provisionally suspended, and he is already cleared to return to action. According to sources, the UFC is hoping to book him on an upcoming card in the summer. Despite not fighting in 13 months, the undefeated "Suga Sean" is still considered one of the rising stars in MMA.
Vettori, 25, failed a test on Aug. 24 and accepted a six-month suspension retroactive to that date. And Mendes, 36, failed a test on March 7, 2018, and was suspended as of March 20, 2018 for six months. He was released from the UFC in June 2018.