UFC veteran Ricardo Abreu announced his retirement this past February after being notified of a second potential failed drug test by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).
The fighter, who was already serving a two year suspension from a previous failed drug test, has now been suspended an additional four years by USADA.
However, since the fighter had already announced his retirement before the suspension, the four year suspension will be tolled. That essentially means that if Abreu decides to come out of retirement down the line, the four years suspension would have to be served first.
If Abreu had stayed clean after the inaugural suspension by USADA, then he would have been able to return to action by July of 2018.
Abreu hasn’t competed since UFC Fight Night 88, where he suffered a split decision loss to Jake Collier.
USADA nabbed the fighter for the second time when they found a substance known as 19-norandrosterone in his system, which is a metabolite of a substance called nandrolone.
Assuming the fighter would end his self-imposed retirement this year and he serves the rest of his first suspension, plus the second suspension, then he could return to active competition some time in 2022.
