On Thursday afternoon reports starting surfacing online regarding another potential violation of the USADA Anti-Doping Policy for UFC contender George Sullivan was formally notified by USADA after being flagged following a questionable sample taken during an out-of-competition drug test administered to hin by USADA on January 14th.
Because this is his second offense of the UFC’s strict Anti-Doping Policy that is handled by the aforementioned United States Anti-Doping Agency, Sullivan, who was just about to be done with his first suspension, as he was scheduled to finally be eligible to fight again after his suspension was set to expire next Tuesday.
UFC.com issued the following statement this evening regarding Sullivan’s second potential Anti-Doping Policy violation:
UFC STATEMENT ON GEORGE SULLIVAN
The UFC organization was formally notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed George Sullivan of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collection taken on January 14, 2017.
Sullivan is currently serving a one year suspension under the UFC Anti-Doping Program, for his use of a product containing the prohibited substance Insulin Growth Factor -1 (IGF-1). Sullivan was due to end his current suspension on January 31, 2017, and compete on the UFC 208 card in Brooklyn, New York, against Randy Brown. However, USADA has provisionally suspended Sullivan based on the new potential anti-doping violation, and the UFC has removed Sullivan from the UFC 208 card. The UFC is currently seeking a replacement to face Randy Brown.
USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case. It is important to note that, under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, there is a full fair legal review process that is afforded to all athletes before any sanctions are imposed.
Consistent with all previous potential anti-doping violations, additional information or UFC statements will be provided at the appropriate time as the process moves forward.”
