Former champ Lyoto Machida accepts USADA suspension
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida has been suspended for 18 months by the United States Anti-Doping Agency.
He has accepted the sanction and the matter is now closed.
During an out-of-competition test conducted on April 8, one of the products Machida declared use of on his sample collection paperwork was found to contain a banned substance.
The test subsequently confirmed the presence of 7‐keto-dehydroepiandrosterone, a prohibited anabolic agent.
According to USADA, which independently administers the UFC’s anti-doping policy, Machida cooperated with the investigation and claimed he wasn’t aware the product he was using was prohibited.
Machida faced a potential ban on 24 months, but the penalty was mitigated by his cooperation and his perceived level of fault. The suspension is retroactive to the date the sample was collected.
The Brazilian held the light heavyweight title from 2009 to 2010. He dropped to middleweight in 2013 and dropped a unanimous decision to Chris Weidman for the 185-pound title in 2014. He has dropped three of his last four fights, including a third-round knockout loss in his last fight to Yoel Romero in June 2015.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-277-8028. Follow @adamhilllvrj on Twitter.
