Mairbek Taisumov accepts six-month USADA suspension

Mairbek Taisumov has accepted a six-month suspension from the United States Anti-Doping Agency, the organization announced Thursday.

Per a release, Taisumov tested positive for a pair of stanozolol metabolites, 3′-hydroxystanozolol-O-glucuronide and 16β-hydroxystanozolol-O-glucuronide. The metabolites were discovered in an in-competition sample collected on Sept. 15, 2018 at UFC Moscow, where Taisumov defeated Desmond Green by unanimous decision. There is no mention of whether the result of that bout will be overturned as that ruling will be determined by the UFC.

Stanozolol is prohibited year-round under USADA policy. Taisumov’s suspension is retroactive to Oct. 8, 2018, the date that his provisional suspension began, meaning that he is already eligible to compete in 2019.

According to the USADA, Taisumov, a native of the Chechen Republic of Russia, cooperated by providing information to the USADA concerning the dietary supplement products that he used during the time period related to the sample in question. The USADA collaborated with the Russian Anti-Doping Agency and a World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited laboratory in Salt Lake City, Utah, and it was determined that the dietary supplements all contained stanozolol. This was enough evidence for the USADA to rule that the products were contaminated, which is one factor that can lead to a reduced suspension.

“Here, USADA took into consideration the circumstances that resulted in Taisumov’s positive test and determined that a six-month period of ineligibility was an appropriate sanction under the rules for his violation,” the official statement reads.

Taisumov, 30, is currently on a six-fight win streak in the UFC’s lightweight division (including one catchweight bout that saw Taisumov come in heavy).