The powerful MMA fighter and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight veteran, CB Dollaway, has been suspended for two years from MMA competition by United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) after testing positive for multiple banned substances.
USADA officials announced the news on Monday after Dollaway was suspended in accordance to the UFC’s anti-doping policy.
“Dollaway, 35, tested positive for anastrozole, growth hormone releasing peptide 2 (GHRP-2 or pralmorelin), a metabolite of GHRP-2, and GHRP-6 as the result of an out-of-competition urine sample he provided on December 19, 2018. Anastrozole is a Specified Substance in the class of Hormone and Metabolic Modulators, while GHRP-2 and GHRP-6 are Specified Substances in the class of Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors, Related Substances and Mimetics.
“Dollaway also tested positive for clomiphene in an out-of-competition urine sample collected on February 9, 2019.”
Anastrozole is normally used as a treatment for women suffering from breast cancer but in men in can be used to decrease the amount of estrogen produced in the body.
GHRP-2 or pralmorelin is a synthetically produced growth hormone which can be used to increase endurance as well as many other performance enhancing benefits.
Clomiphene is the common drug that both UFC athletes including Brock Lesnar and Jon Jones tested positive for in 2016. Although the drug used as a fertility treatment for women, it is often used in conjunction with a steroid cycle to boost natural testosterone production and reduce the side effects of synthetic hormones.
Dolloway has not fought since September 2018 when he suffered a TKO loss to Khalid Murtazaliev in Russia, which broke his two-fight win streak.
Following the USADA announcement of his suspension, Dollaway issued a statement via Instagram that he never knowingly consumed any of the banned substances that showed up in his drug tests while he was getting treatment for his back injury in Mexico.
“In light of the recent decision made by USADA to issue me a 2 year sanction,” Dollaway wrote, “I want to be very clear that I did not knowingly nor intentionally take any performance enhancing drugs. As many people close to me are aware, I suffered a serious back injury in 2016. With my insurance capped out, I needed to find alternative solution if I wanted to continue to compete in Mixed Martial arts. I traveled to Mexico to have a stem cell procedure done and ended up coming into contact with the mentioned substances. I am sorry to let my friends, family and fans down. I want to personally thank Donna Marcolini the VP of health and performances of the UFC for her assistance and for believing in me. I will take this time to continue working on my health and hopefully be ready to come back in 2020 as a healthy athlete/fighter for the first time since 2016.”
Dollaway will be back in action on December 13th, 2020, following his two year suspension.