Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
The light heavyweight fighter will be eligible to return in 2022.
UFC light heavyweight Jorge Gonzalez was supposed to make his promotional debut earlier this year, but it will now be pushed back to 2022.
Per a press release from the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), Gonzalez has accepted a two-year sanction after testing positive for several banned substances. Because of this, Gonzalez has been removed From his upcoming fight and his suspension is retroactive to the date in which he initially tested positive.
“Gonzalez Villa, 36, tested positive for stanozolol metabolites 16?-hydroxystanozolol and 4?-hydroxystanozolol, drostanolone metabolite 2?-methyl-5?-androstan-3?-ol-17-one, and tamoxifen metabolite 3-hydroxy-4-methoxytamoxifen as the result of a urine sample collected out-of-competition on August 5, 2020,” the agency wrote.
“Stanozolol and drostanolone are non-Specified Substances in the class of Anabolic Agents, while tamoxifen is a Specified Substance in the class of Hormone and Metabolic Modulators.”
The news comes about a week after Gonzalez had his temporary suspension extended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) following the out-of-competition test from Aug. 5.
The agency also mentioned that Gonzalez could have reported the use of these prohibited substances upon his entry into the UFC, and would have faced a potential consequence “depending on the substance”, but Gonzalez did not do so.
Gonzalez was set to make his debut in July against Kenneth Bergh, but his opponent pulled out of the fight after a difficult weight cut. In return, Gonzalez was pulled from the card and rescheduled to compete a month later against Ike Villanueva at UFC 252.
The fight between him and Villanueva was then rescheduled for a week later at UFC on ESPN 15, but Gonzalez withdrew from the bout.
He holds an overall record of 16-4.