It was recently revealed that UFC fighter Dequan Townsend was suspended six months by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) for a failed drug test.
Townsend recently spoke with MMA Fighting, where the fighter stated that he is not a drug user.
“There’s thousands of different ways that things can get into your system,” Townsend said. “Me personally, I am not a drug user. I don’t discriminate, I don’t judge anybody who does drugs personally. What they do in their free time is what they do in their free time. I took this fight on three days’ notice. I was hanging around the wrong crowd. There’s a thousand different ways things can happen, and (it ended) up getting into my system, and I just did what I needed to do and took the necessary steps I needed to in order to get this situation behind me. That was that, and I’m moving forward from it.”
The fighter cooperated with USADA and was able to get a shortened suspension so that his upcoming bout against Bevon Lewis at UFC Fight Night Raleigh wouldn’t be affected.
One thing the UFC fighter is adamant about is that whatever illegal substances did enter his system entered by accident.
“There’s different ways, and one of the most common ways is [through the] mucous membrane,” Townsend said. “That’s one of the most common ways. If you sleep with somebody or engage in any sexual activity with someone who is a user or who does what they do on the side or whatever, it can get into your system through sweat, different sexual activities. There’s different ways it can get into your system. That’s one way. Also, touching stuff. I am a nurse – that’s my nine-to-five. I’m not sure if a lot of people know; people in Lansing actually know that’s my actual nine-to-five job. That could have been a way that it happened. But as I said in general, it was three days’ notice, (and) I obviously wasn’t aware or extra careful because I didn’t plan on fighting in the UFC.”
UFC Fight Night Raleigh takes place on Saturday, January 25 from the PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina with Curtis Blaydes and Junior Dos Santos headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, which streams live on ESPN+.
