A potential USADA violation pulled George Sullivan from this weekend's UFC on FOX card in Chicago, but Sullivan still has a fight ahead of him. It just won't be taking place in the cage.
Releasing a statement on Thursday after the UFC pulled him from his welterweight bout against Hector Urbina, Sullivan said he plans "to do whatever it takes to clear my name."
Describing himself as an advocate for keeping performance enhancing drugs outn of mixed martial arts, Sullivan said he was "confident that my name will be cleared" and noted he was flagged "due to a natural supplement being on my list of supplements that I voluntarily disclosed."
The USADA issued a response, nothing that Sullivan declared use of a "high-risk dietary supplement" collected in an out-of-competition sample. The USADA statement added that there has been no conclusion yet that Sullivan violated the UFC anti-doping policy.
The USADA has been the UFC's anti-doping partner for approximately a year. Sullivan (17-5) has fought twice inside the Octagon since that partnership began. He has lost two of his three most recent bouts.
The UFC also issued a statement, which you can see below.
UFC competitor George Sullivan voluntarily disclosed information to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) that could pose a potential compliance issue with the UFC Anti-Doping Policy. Out of an abundance of caution, Sullivan has been removed from his scheduled bout on Saturday night against Hector Urbina while USADA conducts an investigation into the matter.
Urbina will still weigh in as a potential backup opponent should there be a need for him to compete in another bout on Saturday. Otherwise, he will be re-booked for another card in the near future.
Urbina will still weigh-in, in case a replacement is needed Saturday night.
By John Moorehouse
