Ruslan Magomedov has made history, but not in the way that most professional MMA fighters want to do so.
That’s because the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has issued a lifetime ban to the fighter after a third violation has been issued to him. Magomedov first failed a drug test in 2016, before failing another in late 2018 and then refusing to take a drug test by USADA in February of this year.
The following statement has been issued by USADA on the matter:
USADA announced today that Ruslan Magomedov, of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, has received a lifetime sanction after his second and third violations of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy.
Magomedov, 32, received a second violation after he tested positive for methyltestosterone metabolite 17α-methyl-5β-androstan-3α, 17β-diol, as well as stanozolol metabolites 3’-hydroxystanozolol-O-glucuronide, 16β-hydroxystanozolol-O-glucuronide, and stanozolol-N-glucuronide, as the result of an out-of-competition urine sample he provided on October 10, 2018. Methyltestosterone and stanozolol are non-Specified Substances 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.
The athlete’s third violation resulted from his refusal to complete the sample collection process as requested by a doping control officer during an out-of-competition test on February 5, 2019. Refusing or failing to submit to sample collection, without compelling justification, is a doping violation under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy.
Magomedov’s lifetime period of ineligibility began on November 5, 2018, the date his provisional suspension was imposed.
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.
There has been no comment from either the UFC or Magomedov at this time. Magomedov did go undefeated during a three fight run in the UFC, defeating the trio of Viktor Pesta, Josh Copeland and Shawn Jordan.
