Khalid Murtazaliev made his UFC debut late last year at UFC Fight Night Moscow, defeating CB Dollaway by second round TKO.
That is going to be the last time that Murtazaliev is going to be in the Octagon for the time being because the fighter has accepted a two year USADA issued suspension for a failed out of competition drug test.
The following press release was issued by USADA on the matter:
February 22, 2019
USADA announced today that Khalid Murtazaliev, of Makhachkala, Russia, has accepted a two-year sanction for a violation of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy after testing positive for a prohibited substance.
Murtazaliev, 25, tested positive for drostanolone and its metabolite 2α-methyl-5α-androstan-3α-ol-17-one as the result of out-of-competition urine samples he provided on October 3, 2018 and December 6, 2018. Drostanolone is a non-Specified Substance in the class of Anabolic Agents and prohibited at all times under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, which has adopted the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List.
Murtazaliev’s two samples under the rules are treated as a single, first violation because the amount of drostanolone and its metabolite detected in both samples is consistent with administration via injection prior to the first sample collected on October 3, 2018. Murtazaliev’s two-year period of ineligibility began on October 3, 2018, the date his sample was collected.
USADA conducts the year-round, independent anti-doping program for all UFC athletes. USADA is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental agency whose sole mission is to preserve the integrity of competition, inspire true sport, and protect the rights of clean athletes. In an effort to aid UFC athletes, as well as their support team members, in understanding the rules applicable to them, USADA provides comprehensive instruction on the UFC Anti-Doping Program website (https://UFC.USADA.org) regarding the testing process and prohibited substances, how to obtain permission to use a necessary medication, and the risks and dangers of taking supplements as well as performance-enhancing and recreational drugs. In addition, the agency manages a drug reference hotline, Drug Reference Online (https://UFC.GlobalDRO.com), conducts educational sessions, and proactively distributes a multitude of educational materials, such as the Prohibited List, easy-reference wallet cards, and periodic athlete alerts. Many of the resources available to athletes are provided in multiple languages, including Russian, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Korean, and Japanese.
Along with education and testing, robust anti-doping programs enable investigations stemming from tips and whistleblowers. USADA makes available a number of ways to report the abuse of performance-enhancing drugs in sport in an effort to protect clean athletes and promote clean competition. Any tip can be reported using the USADA Play Clean Tip Center, by email at playclean @usada.org, by phone at 1 877-Play Clean (1-877-752-9253), or by mail.
Since the suspension is retroactive to the date of failure, it means that Murtazaliev is able to compete again on October 3 of 2020.
