UFC fighter George Sullivan was pulled from UFC on FOX 20 even he has yet to fail a USADA drug test.
George Sullivan was supposed to fight Hector Urbina this weekend at UFC on FOX 20, until he was informed that he was being pulled from the card because of a “potential compliance issue” of the anti-doping policy. Interestingly enough, he has been removed from the event even if he has yet to fail a drug test.
“UFC competitor George Sullivan voluntarily disclosed information to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) that could pose a potential compliance issue with the UFC Anti-Doping Policy,” the UFC statement states. “Out of an abundance of caution, Sullivan has been removed from his scheduled bout on Saturday night against Hector Urbina while USADA conducts an investigation into the matter.”
Sullivan has since addressed the issue on social media.
“As anyone that knows me or follows me on social media is aware, I am an outspoken advocate for keeping MMA clean of PEDs,” Sullivan wrote on Facebook. “I was shocked when I was told that I could not fight this weekend. I did not fail a test. I was pulled from the card due to a natural supplement being on my list of supplements that I voluntarily disclosed to USADA.”
“This supplement has been on my list that I have disclosed to both the UFC and USADA prior to my previous fights. I have been tested for PEDs countless times in my career by different testing authorities, including USADA. I have never tested positive for any banned substances. I want to thank everyone that supports me. I plan to do whatever it takes to clear my name. I am confident that my name will be cleared.”
USADA has also issued a statement, saying they’re investigating the “high risk” supplement he voluntarily disclosed last week. They also contradicted Sullivan’s statement saying this has been mentioned in the past.
“Given that the athlete has publicly addressed this matter, USADA can confirm that it has initiated an investigation following Mr. Sullivan’s declaration of a high risk “dietary supplement” during an out-of-competition sample collection on July 13, 2016.”
“At no time prior to last week had Mr. Sullivan made this declaration during a USADA sample collection. As of now, USADA has not concluded that a policy violation was committed and Mr. Sullivan has not been notified of a potential anti-doping policy violation. Nonetheless, given Mr. Sullivan’s declaration, and the strong possibility that the product he declared contains a prohibited substance, USADA will continue to thoroughly investigate the matter.”
Sullivan has gone 3-2 in the UFC, fighting twice since the new anti-doping policy was put in place.